My only problem with the TV series

[nige4c]

I have it in my head what the characters / settings look like when reading the books

When I read the books after seeing the TV series I'm going to imagine the characters as being how they look on the TV. Not sure if this is a good thing!

Same happened to me when reading Harry Potter after seeing the films

Anyone else do this?

[Silverstar]

I think most people do, and I wouldn't be surprised if some folks choose not to watch the show for that exact reason.

Personally, I'm not that fussed about it. The only thing that will bother me is if the show isn't very good, and therefore I'm left with substandard images in my head, but I should think if the show turns out to be bad, I won't watch more than an episode or two anyhow. And I highly doubt that it will turn out bad, with the cast and crew they've assembled.

[Sekhmet]

Hey, it even happened to Bernard Cromwell, author of the Sharpe series. Initially, he was happy with Paul McGann, not as happy when the blonde Sean Bean replaced him. Now Bernard imagines Sharpe as portrayed by Sean when he's writing new novels.

I can live with it. I think that the casting for this is excellent!

p.s. I already imagined Bean as Ned when I was listening to GOT. I have always imagined Drogo as Momoa, even before he was cast.

[El-ahrairah]

I can't say I have detailed notions of each character's appearance - the few I do have come from fan art and book covers. For example Lord Edmure at his father's boat-funeral.

[Lady Blackfish]

I'm trying to resist that possibility even now, especially with the characters whose casting choices I'm not really excited about :unsure: It's a good thing I've had so long to build up mental images, and anyway I eventually was able to do the same with LOTR, so I'm sure it'll be fine.

I don't really mind with Robb though, he looks pretty perfect for the role to me. Jon too actually, I'm content to let those images persist.

[Whiteshadow]

mhm in my opinion the cast hits the characters very well (especially Robb really looks exactly like Robb, same with Tyrion, Arya, Catelyn, Jaime, Cersei, Sandor, Rodrik Cassel, Jorah, Luwin, Bran etc.).

Im a bit confused about Theon Greyjoy, Jeoffrey, Sansa and Jon; I expected them to be slightly more handsome.

Mark Addy as Robert just needs to gain some weight, and Sean Bean isnt exactly looking like the Ned in my mind. But very close to it and since Sean Bean is a really, really great actor i think he is the best choice.

[Lady Blackfish]

I agree about Theon, but then, I think it could be an interesting choice also. I think Headey for Cersei is also the same: she's not really accurate in some ways but the differences could be interesting.

Bean is not my idea of Ned, and I know he's got advantages, he's a recognizable name that needs to be paid only for one season, and he's a credible actor. All the same, he comes off as a certain kind of typecasting that I have to honestly admit I find disappointing. Same with Ehle for Catelyn. I know I'm pretty much alone here though, most people seem to love those two choices, but I find myself doing the "did we even read the same books" thing :ohwell: That's opinions for ya.

I was skeptical about Mark Addy at first but for whatever reason I'm open to the idea now. I think all the Stark kids, including Sansa and Jon, are cast superbly, and I'm a little surprised you find Kit Harrington lacking in the "handsome" department! I can guarantee you that my teenaged sister will be all over that.

[Whiteshadow]

Well i also think that Alfie Allen (who seems to be a great actor) could make Theon even more interesting than he is in the books...but i always thought he looks older than Robb and Jon and is somehow strange but handsome (he gets all the girls^^).

Kit Harrington is an attractive young man, but he always looked a bit boring to me on the pictures i've seen.

He is a nice counterpart to pretty boy-Robb, but i hoped for someone with a more distinctive face.

But we'll see...it could be much worse :D

[Werthead]

I think Ehle will be an excellent Catelyn, but based on her superb performance as the haughty, arrogant and ambitious (and also blonde!) Calypso in The Camomile Lawn, she could have also been a barnstorming Cersei as well.

[Lady Blackfish]

Well i also think that Alfie Allen (who seems to be a great actor) could make Theon even more interesting than he is in the books...but i always thought he looks older than Robb and Jon and is somehow strange but handsome (he gets all the girls^^).

Yeah, to me Alfie Allen looks more like Madden's and Harrington's contemporary rather than a big brother figure (which I think is canon?), but even still I think it's possible for him to come off as a mildly corrupting influence on the good and heroic Robb. As for handsome, yeah, but there's make-up and charisma too I suppose? I think he has the general cocky vibe for the character, but I'm just not familiar enough with him to say much more.

Kit Harrington is an attractive young man, but he always looked a bit boring to me on the pictures i've seen.

He is a nice counterpart to pretty boy-Robb, but i hoped for someone with a more distinctive face.

But we'll see...it could be much worse :D

Ahh, I see, well I think it seems to me like Jon is the kind that should look nondescript, belying his inner worth. For me that's all kind of okay, the Starks have the whole "It's what's on the inside that counts" thing going on. In fact I wouldn't mind if Ned looked a little more boring (just saying this as my opinion, not trying to convert you).

I think Ehle will be an excellent Catelyn, but based on her superb performance as the haughty, arrogant and ambitious (and also blonde!) Calypso in The Camomile Lawn, she could have also been a barnstorming Cersei as well.

Heh, well that one I haven't seen yet, but I have been immersing myself in Ehle movies. Even when she's harder, her energy is somewhat more lively and less stately than what I'd imagine for either lady. That said, I was always extremely enamoured of the idea that Cersei looked a lot softer and nicer on the outside while Catelyn projected strength and stoicism, again outwardly belying nuances you pick up when you learn more about their personality. I have Paradise Road queued up though, Ehle is billed as a Strong Woman in that one so we'll see if my impression changes. But so far, I almost like her better when she isn't playing lovely ladies in old fashioned period pieces, those are the ones where I feel the typecasting thing most especially.

She is very intelligent and talented though, undeniably.

[Padraig]

Well i also think that Alfie Allen (who seems to be a great actor) could make Theon even more interesting than he is in the books...but i always thought he looks older than Robb and Jon and is somehow strange but handsome (he gets all the girls^^).

Well, he is older than Robb/Jon, so he should do better with women than those two. I always saw him as cheeky/confident primarily and that's something Alfie Allen seems to have down.

[Ser Silly Cat]

I'm ok with imagining all fo the actors faces really..except for sean bean. i love him but i know as eddard all i wil be able to think of is boromir...

[About Yea High]

Good topic; I think once the series begins and we have a massive influx of new fans (all of them picturing the characters exactly as they were cast) this will become one of the Great Lost Topics.

It all depends on the actual performance for me. While looks do matter, they don't matter to me as much as the ability to inhabit the character. I have been vocal in the past as to why I think this is an excellent cast. Others could call it fan-boyish hopefulness, but since I know myself relatively well (me and my usually-slightly-cynical nature), I consider my glee at the casting to be educated hopefulness.

Prior to seeing a single episode, I can't fairly judge by anything except the preconceptions I already had in my head, so here are my thoughts on the casting, and what I expect:

Tyrion: Dinklage is who I imagined, and Dinklage is who we got. They targeted him first, went after him aggressively, and nailed him down. It's the sweetest role Dinklage has ever had, and it won't surprise me if he garners awards for it.

Ned: I never pictured Sean Bean in the role, even though I loved the actor. I always pictured Ned as more gaunt than how Bean normally appears--ironically I pictured someone closer to how Joseph Mawle looks. Additionally, Bean normally plays characters who wear their emotions on their sleeve (few can do a desperate voice-quaver like that guy), and that's not Ned. It could be a challenge playing someone so bottled up, but Bean has risen to the occasion each time I've seen him on screen, and I have no reason to doubt he will do the role justice.

Catelyn: Even without knowing much about Jennifer Ehle before she'd been named, I had an Ehle-ish image in my head when I thought of Catelyn. I think this role is easily in her range, and I think she can even expand it a little, making Catelyn more sympathetic on the screen than she seems to be on the pages.

Jaime: I wasn't sure what the balance of manly-to-pretty was going to be, but I'm glad they went in this direction (nose and all). To be fair, I was expecting a relative unknown--not a guy who had starred in movies and had headlined a TV show (New Amsterdam) as well as a pilot (Virtuosity). If any of you doubt him, go watch Virtuosity. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau stands out by a mile. I think people who are already fans of his will tune in expecting his usual good guy routine and be utterly shocked by the time "The things I do for love" comes.

Cersei: Yet again I was expecting a relative unknown--and Lena Headey certainly isn't unknown. And again--this actress playing a villain goes against type. I don't think she's ever done it before, and is NOT who I expected. But I've seen glimpses of Cersei's "reptilian stare" in portions of what Headey has done, and I think it's a brilliant choice. Of all the people, I think she will surprise the most. Reports from the on-location sites had her looking stunning, so I don't doubt she will shine.

King Robert: There were so many calls for a Brian Blessed type actor that that's who I began imagining. Certainly not Mark Addy. That said, Robert will be partially hidden behind a big black beard. Addy will have to use his eyes and more importantly his voice to convey the bombastic coward that Robert truly is. People have harped on his height, but that's fixable--and in my view not all that important. I'm not one of those people who says, "Well the books have him at 6' 6" so that's what he needs to be." No, because it's a TV show, not a direct translation. His height doesn't mean squat so long as we're convinced this man was once the most feared warrior in the world.

Daenerys: As one of the largest Tamzin Merchant supporters out there, I was literally shocked by the vitriol this actress received by some people. It honestly felt to me as though the feral masses were just waiting for that first "sexy female" role to be cast (don't forget she was cast before Headey) and just teed off on the girl. And it was rubbish. This woman has everything you could ask for in Daenerys; she's stunning, she looks nearly half her age, she has insane emotional range, and she throws herself into every role I've ever seen her in. If you've only seen her in The Tudors and think she can only play a skank, go watch My Family And Other Animals, and you tell me if she doesn't make you believe she's utterly fallen for a boy who, by anyone's account, is nowhere in her league. Tamzin will be Daenerys.

Jon: Hiring an unknown for this role was a good idea. And in my eye, Kit Harington looks spot on. According to everyone who's dealt with him, he's a workaholic too, which bodes extremely well; you don't want some random pouty pretty-boy playing Jon Snow, coasting on his looks, or he could turn insufferable ("Yes, we get it--you're a bastard") very quickly. And he's a theater guy; I've always held the belief that theater is where you really learn your acting chops. High hopes.

Sansa: Unknown child actors are exactly that, so no one can say what we've got aside from how they look. Looks-wise, Sophie Turner could be Jennifer Ehle's Mini-Me, so that's a plus. Anyone who's seen any of Sophie's tangent-filled monologues on YouTube can fully realize her as a pretty normal, outgoing young teenage girl (one who doesn't mind sharing the spotlight with her friends, who she routinely pimps - in a good way, I mean). If anything, Sophie will bring more animation to a role that, in the books, comes off as almost day-dreamy and distracted, but surely girlish. And Sophie is assuredly that.

Arya: Maisie Williams can't be accused of having a "horse face" like Arya traditionally had, so I can't say I imagined that particular face in that particular role. That said, by all accounts she is spastic-fantastic. GRRM singled her out as being the ONLY girl capable of filling Arya's shoes--as in out of all the girls they auditioned, Maisie was the only one to own it. With that praise, I'm exceptionally comfortable. And the fact that "Clever Maisie" (Turner's words, not mine) seems so brash can't do anything but help when it comes time to her sticking people with the pointy end.

Bran: Unknown kid, et/al. It's funny, from one angle Isaac Hempstead-Wright looks like a Tully, and from another he looks like a Stark. On his Twitter account he says he had fun doing his action scenes, and from what I heard he also did a lot of his own stunts (probably not many 10-year old stuntpeople in the world). Isaac has brown eyes as opposed to Sean Bean's blue and Jennifer Ehle's (I think) light hazel, so I'm not sure if they're going to give him contacts or re-do his eyes in post production or what (parent-child similarities are obviously more important in GoT than they are in other shows). Kid's gonna have strong arms by the time season 1 filming is done. He'll have to exercise his legs off set.

Robb: I know nothing of Richard Madden aside from him being the Best-Dressed Man in Scotland. He looks the part, and is likely to garner a large female following. I'm hoping for a good chemistry with both Harington and Ehle.

Theon: If you would have initially told me a few years ago that Alfie Allen was cast in the role of Theon Greyjoy, I probably would have said, "...What?" But by the time the announcement was made I actually already sort of knew of him (though I didn't know his name). A friend had hooked me up with Casualty 1907, and Alfie was one of the stand-outs in that. The guy can play someone in a desperate panic, to be sure. Additionally he has garnered praise for a role in theater, replacing Daniel Radcliffe in the oft-nude Equus. In some ways Theon could be considered meta-casting. Alfie's already got the smirk down pat. And playing a role that has him trying to prove yourself in a family headed by a prominent father that has the added pressure of an extremely popular older sister? Sounds like some of the emotions conjured up might not be so hard to find.

Drogo: Some people hate the choice of Jason Momoa, some people love it. To me he looks the part. Off camera he's a little dude-ish (What up, brah?), but that's not what's being judged. Handsome + imposing = yes. The rest is costume and makeup, and the ability to really sell the word "No."

[About Yea High]

Oh, and to finish that off - I began a re-read of the series a few months back (I'm on A Storm of Swords now) with each actor specifically in mind. To me it works. Very little changes at all, except the Hound has a Scottish brogue. "Bugger that" becomes "Booger tha'."

Oh, and yes, I think the casting of Rory McCann as Sandor Clegane is excellent.

Joffrey ... we'll see. I always saw him as a pretty boy, and Jack Gleeson doesn't seem to be that. Hopefully he can just completely nail the "entitled ass" we expect.

[Lady Blackfish]

I'm fine with NCW, I haven't seen a thing he's in but lookswise I have no problems. He has the air and I could not care less about the nose. I don't get the fuss about Tamzin either, save perhaps doubts about her acting. The Tudors is maybe not a great showcase and Daeneyrs is a huge role, she carries that entire storyline with little help from anyone else. I myself don't know about her acting as I dropped out of The Tudors somewhere along the line, but I find the comments about her looks rather petty and unwarranted.

Headey: I think the thing people forget is that in the books, Cersei is not supposed to look evil or reptilian or anything like that. She looks sweet and gentle, and while Headey has often played, well, basically she's played a lot of Catelyn types, she looks a lot stronger than I always imagined Cersei. Her hardness is all on the outside, so it's not much of a surprise. I think that's a shame to lose, but on the other hand I like Headey a lot and am glad she's involved, and I look forward to seeing what she makes of Cersei.

Madden: Robb doesn't actually have that much pagespace with Jon, there's two scenes IIRC. But maybe they'll expand on that in the show, we'll see. Really he needs to be good with Ehle and Hempstead-Wright, he has his most challenging moments with them.

Momoa: I never thought that Drogo was that deep a part. What are people's objections to him?

Ehle: Well I'm resigned to the fact that I simply won't be agreeing with people (except this guy). I am a huge fan of the character, and I just can't see yet what is perfect about her for the role. She exudes a lot of warmth, but that's the thing, people misconceive Cat's character when they think of her as overtly emotional. Just as Cersei is hard on the inside and soft on the outside, Cat keeps her vulnerability invisible and has a mask of almost iciness. People are citing Ehle's warmth and likability and motherliness (whatever this even means) for her suitability, and I'll just be perfectly blunt: if they reimagine her character just to make her more popular, I'm going to be disappointed. I rather they rearranged her monologues and made them more overt, or give her some more interactions that weren't there in the text, to explain her, rather than soften her up. When it comes to acting, really, what the hell do I know? Like you I have only my preconceptions. But she does make me think that they are typecasting for a kindly, benign "good woman" type. Cat is perhaps the Good Woman in contrast with Cersei, but she's also staunch and patrician and stately, and I don't get that much with Ehle, who can be quite graceful but doesn't have the same powerful vibe. I don't expect anyone to agree with me though, and I'll be extremely happy to be proven wrong. As everyone can tell, she's very talented.

Bean, well, similarly, I'm prepared to be alone here. He comes off like a typical brawny burly hero choice, to me, which is not at all to say that he isn't a good actor, but he isn't a chameleon either. It seems like a casting choice that fits the persona Ned tries to live up to rather than the underbelly of his character that GRRM lets us see. That's just me though, again, I know I'm alone here. I'm glad everyone else is happy with the choices, but I can't help but feel like they target only superficial elements of these two characters. Obviously I'm speaking way too prematurely and should keep an open mind, which I'll be trying to do.

[Silverstar]

Lady Blackfish,

One of the descriptions we get near the beginning of AGoT is from, I think, an Arya chapter where she's thinking about how she doesn't look like her brothers and sister. She mentions that they all inherited 'easy smiles and fire in their hair' from their mother, whereas she has her father's face. The 'easy smiles' bit stuck with me, and I think that's one of the reasons I like Ehle. She has a face which very easily breaks into a smile, but when she's hurt or angry or scared, she can go very stoic or icy. An actress whose sole impression was of iciness would'nt be Catelyn to me.

I see Cat as dignified and stoic and icy a lot of the time throughout the series, but I didn't get the impression that the iciness was her typical demeanor, at times when she is not going through the worst experience of her life. My impression is that she was naturally quite warm and earthy, but she puts on a front a lot of the time, and the blows she suffers throughout the books make her colder and harder and 'icier' as she realises she has to 'become a Stark for real'. And then they take her even further through that until she turns to Lady Stoneheart.

I think Ehle can pull that off. I also think Ehle can pull off the internal dialogues. That woman's eyes can speak volumes, whilst her lips are totally silent.

As always, YMMV, though.

[Lady Blackfish]

Yeah I know Cat has an affable side, very companionable and for sure down to earth. But ... well, here's where I get a little mean maybe, at least hypercritical.

When Ehle smiles, that's kind of when I least want her to be Cat. It makes me feel like the character has lost a little stature, her mouth is quite small and her eyes have a way of shrinking into her head especially when she smiles. It's a very nice smile, but it also make the character become very girlish and sugary. Catelyn is a warm person deep down, yes, but I don't really want to see her as girlish. I don't think she is exactly "Bridget Jonesy" but I suppose something like the difference between that and a, hrm, Lucilla from Gladiator? is what I am trying (very inarticulately) to get at.

And when Ehle's playing tougher, she comes off more like the girl next door with moxy than like a noble. Obviously she's a professional actress here, not me, and she's paid to inhabit different roles. I can't say for sure what she'll do with this one. But I watch her do happy and I watch her do angry and it's just not clicking with me. I like the her best thus far in more modern roles where she isn't emotive women from times gone by, and I'm not sure if that's a good thing if you see what I mean. There are also times where she comes off as manneristic. You're right that she can emote, but sometimes it feels like she does it purely reactively, and sometimes maybe it's too theatrical? Or just too much of it, I don't know. Maybe I'm just a cranky old bitch, like I said, what do I know about acting?

I've gotten through six of her movies, in addition to P&P which I'd seen ages ago, and I have 8-9 more including the Camomile Lawn series. Maybe I will change my mind, I'll certainly keep trying to see things in a new light. And of course it's not like what I think matters all that much anyway ;) Who cares, right!

[BigFatCoward]

since i want the series to be picked up and i want all 7 books filmed i am pragmatic enough to accept that HBO will cast according to what they think is correct. it is not the die hard ASOIAF fans they need to appeal too, but the general population. i'm pretty sure the casting team at HBO know far more than any of us about the rights and wrongs of casting. any organisation that can turn Lovejoy into Al Swearengen or pick up unknowns like Omar or Stringer Bell has my full support until proven otherwise.

[Padraig]

When Ehle smiles, that's kind of when I least want her to be Cat.

The good news is that Ehle wouldn't be smiling much after Episode 1. :P

I'm sure things will come off different on screen but (from my point of view) at least she is a very good actress. So at least things should't come off badly on screen.

[Lady Blackfish]

Hahah, touche sir.

We can probably all agree that nothing in the casting so far screams cheap or low quality, which is excellent.