Until the final casting of any production, it is common to test or think of different names for the same role. Choosing a talent can change the entire trajectory of the content and, once it’s ready, we ask ourselves… what if?

Actress Tamzin Merchant is an example. She was the original Daenerys Targaryen and filmed the pilot for Game of Thrones, which was so bad that the showrunners themselves talked about how they almost ruined everything.

When HBO gave it a second chance, they not only re-edited it but also made radical changes to the cast. Tamzin was the protagonist and although they don’t say she did badly, they decided to replace her with the unknown and newcomer Emilia Clarke, in her first role on TV. The rest, as they say, is history. Emilia became a TV and film star and received four Emmy nominations for Best Actress.

This week, three years after the end of the series, Tamzin spoke openly about the exchange, maintaining the elegance of not complaining. According to her, she was never excited about the role or the story, “My heart wasn’t there” so there is no regret. She recognizes, however, that it was difficult to go to auditions on a bus with posters of Emilia Clarke in the role that became hers.

Even more discreet than Tamzin is actress Jenniffer Ehle. She was also in the infamous pilot, as Lady Catelyn Stark, a vital role for the first few seasons.

Unlike Tamzin, Jennifer was already an award-winning actress on TV and theater, with films such as The Hurt Locker on her resume. For many, she is still the best Lizzie Bennett in the adaptations of the classic Pride and Prejudice. Her name in the cast was one of the highlights. When it came time to reshoot the pilot, Jennifer changed her mind and asked to leave the series. It can be said that she was one of the few to realize (could it be?) that the commitment would demand a lot of her life and she preferred to have a more flexible plan to take care of her family.

With Jennifer Ehle’s withdrawal, Game of Thrones lost two of its three main female characters. Enter the very talented Michele Farney, best known in theater and with stints on television.

The unplanned change made a lot of difference. There is no doubt how much Michele captured the essence of the difficult Catelyn Stark, a controversial character. Michele brought aggression to Catelyn which is important and that is not characteristic of Jennifer in her roles. The scream from the Red Wedding episode is already a TV legend.

In the male cast, there were no significant changes like the women, just curiosities from actors who tested for roles that they didn’t get. But that, as I say, is another post…

Pesquisar

Pesquisar