Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss recast several characters throughout the show’s eight-season run, often due to expanding character roles and scheduling conflicts.
Michiel Huisman famously replaced Ed Skrein as Daario Naharis — a decision that Skrein later attributed to on-set “politics.”
Some swaps were more visible, like Naharis, Dean-Charles Chapman taking over the role of Tommen Baratheon from Callum Wharry, or three different actors portraying Gregor “The Mountain” Clegane. Others, like Richard Brake replacing Vladimir Furdik as the Night King, weren’t as noticeable due to makeup and prosthetics.
However, the biggest recasting the show underwent took place even before the pilot aired.
As many people now know, the original pilot for Game of Thrones was such a disaster that it was almost entirely rewritten and refilmed. Several cast and crew members were replaced in the mayhem, and one of them was the actor who played Daenerys Targaryen.
Yes, Emilia Clarke was not HBO’s first choice to play the Mother of Dragons; Tamzin Merchant was. The British actress, who played Georgiana Darcy in the 2005 film Pride & Prejudice and Catherine Howard in the Showtime series The Tudors, played the Khaleesi in the now-scrapped pilot.
The showrunners never provided a concrete reason behind the decision to replace her. However, in James Hibberd’s Fire Cannot Kill a Dragon, a behind-the-scenes book about the show’s making, HBO’s President of Programming, Michael Lombardo, revealed that Merchant’s scenes with co-star Jason Momoa (Khal Drogo) lacked chemistry.
"When Emilia got there, that's when everything clicked for me,” Momoa himself offered.
Casting director Nina Gold later shared with Vanity Fair that it was “terrible to disappoint” Merchant when she had to break the news. “That’s hard. It’s tough, but you've got to get it right, ultimately,” she said.
Catelyn Stark was also recast after the unaired pilot, but that was the actress's personal decision. Jennifer Ehle was originally cast as the Stark matriarch, as she felt she could not make the long-term commitment to the series after giving birth recently. Michelle Fairley was later cast as Catelyn.
The ill-fated Game of Thrones pilot was a “great lesson” for Tamzin Merchant
In a January 2021 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Tamzin Merchant looked back at losing the opportunity to be in the historic TV show.
“Shooting that pilot was a really great lesson,” Merchant said. “It was an affirmation about listening to my instincts and following them, because I tried to back out of that situation, and during the contract process, I did back out.”
“I was talked back into it by some persuasive people. Then I found myself naked and afraid in Morocco and riding a horse that was clearly much more excited to be there than I was."
Merchant was likely referring to Daenerys’ wedding night with Jason Momoa’s Khal Drogo. Her version was filmed as a seduction, staying more faithful to the book than the rape scene that featured in the pilot that aired.
“It was a lesson that if my guts are telling me a story isn't something I'm excited to tell, then I shouldn't try to be excited just because other people are telling me that I should be excited,” Merchant continued.
She added that one of the reasons Clarke’s version of the character went on to become so legendary was because of her eagerness to be a part of the show.
“I think it's a testament to Emilia Clarke for making that role iconic—she was obviously excited to tell that story, and she was epic and excellent. But for me, it wasn't in my heart to tell it."
This month marks the 15th anniversary of Game of Thrones' premiere, and we're looking back on the series that reshaped fantasy TV with retrospectives, deep dives, quizzes, lists and more. Embarking on a rewatch of Thrones and need some reading material to keep you company on the journey? We've got you covered.
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