In the third season of Game of Thrones, fans were introduced to the rakish mercenary Daario Naharis, played by Ed Skrein. After working his way into Daenerys Targaryen's good graces, Daario would go on to be an important member of the Dragon Queen's inner circle, but when the show returned for season 4, Skrein was gone. The role of Daario was now played by Michiel Huisman, who would play it all the way through the character's final appearance in the season 6 finale.
To this day, no one has ever explained exactly why Skrein left the role, although the actor has said it had something to do with "politics." We're thinking about this afresh because both Skrein and Huisman appear in Zack Snyder's new Netflix movie Rebel Moon, with Skrein as tyrannical government operative Atticus Noble and Huisman as rebellious farmer Gunnar. There's still a sequel on a way, so there's a chance their characters could even fight! Then we'll know for sure who the better Daario was.
No tiene que ver con nada pero me hace gracia que el villano y el principal héroe masculino de Rebel Moon interpretaran al mismo personaje en Game of Thrones. pic.twitter.com/E1gAr4lvJG
— Cafetera de Russell (@CafeDeRussell) January 1, 2024
That said, the actors themselves harbor no ill will towards each other. “We got on really well from the beginning, actually. It was really nice,” Skrein told The Hollywood Reporter. “Michiel is a good dude. He’s a really good dude, and I loved spending time with him on set. I also loved training with him in the gym and going on this press tour with him, so it’s been really nice. If I think of him as any character, it’s Gunnar from Rebel Moon.”
"I feel a kind of camaraderie and kinship with other actors, regardless of what roles they’ve taken or not taken. We understand the dynamics of our job and therefore can relate. And especially if we’re in the same cast, then it should be everyone’s preoccupation to just keep everything as positive and nice as possible. So that’s the way it goes. People will replace me in the future and I will replace other people in the future, and I’ll be a gentleman about it at all times. And I think Michiel will be, too."
Well, that's very mature. If Skrein would like to consider going the opposite direction and screaming "You stole my role and I'll never forgive you!" at Huisman over and over, that would probably be more entertaining for us at home. But no, maturity is good.
Honestly, I'm hoping Skrein or someone else finally gives an account of what exactly happened on Game of Thrones that resulted in Huisman being brought in, but the way folks talk around it, it's probably none of our business. But hey, Skrein, if you want to give an expose, hit us up @WiCnet, just saying.
As for Rebel Moon, you can watch Part One: A Child of Fire on Netflix right now. Part Two of the sci-fi epic, The Scargiver, arrives on April 19.
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