Top 10 most perfectly cast actors on Game of Thrones

4. Sean Bean (Ned Stark)

What is Game of Thrones without Ned Stark? He was unwittingly one of the key players in kicking off the great race for the crown. His character is universally beloved thanks to his strong sense of morality and his taken-before-his-time death.

Obviously, HBO had to get this one right. Thankfully, they struck gold when they cast Sean Bean. Like a few other actors on his list, Bean’s career seemed to be leading up to this role. Before Game of Thrones, he was perhaps best known for his memorable turn as Boromir in The Lord of the Rings, another fantasy epic. But he also had a long, illustrious career as a dramatic actor, and was no stranger to genre fare. Some of his famous pre-GoT credits include GoldenEye, Troy and Equilibrium.

Obviously, Sean knew what he was doing, and came with plenty of star power to boot. Believe it or not, there was a time that some critics were skeptical about the show’s ability to maintain the audience’s attention. HBO needed someone with a famous face to get people hooked. Thank you, Sean Bean.

Although Ned has been numbered among the dearly departed for many seasons now, Bean’s performance was towering enough that it still casts a shadow over the whole story. Bean understood Ned’s character because he’d spent a lifetime preparing.