Twelve times Game of Thrones stars should’ve won Emmys but didn’t
By Dan Selcke
Image: Game of Thrones/HBO
Sean Bean: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series — “Baelor”
It’s hard to remember now, but before Game of Thrones sprawled out to cover the stories of dozens of characters simultaneously, it was something closer to a one-man show. Yes, the first season of Game of Thrones followed the paths of characters like Tyrion Lannister, Daenerys Targaryen and Jon Snow, but Ned Stark was unquestionably the guy at the center of it all, heading up the story where most of our sympathies lay. He was a good man in the belly of the beast trying to keep himself and his two young daughters from getting swallowed. How could you not root for him?
The show show played on our expectations that the stalwart leading man would somehow make it out of his predicament okay, which is why it came as such a shock when Ned Stark was executed in “Baelor.” Immediately, there was a sense of loss. HBO was savvy in casting Bean, an actor known for his quiet, dignified gravity. With him gone, we felt the rug pulled out from under us as surely as Arya did.
Bean’s work as Ned was understated, but hit exactly the right familiar notes to make us think he was in this for the long haul, until he wasn’t.