Do you imagine the TV actors when you read the books?

[The Mountain That Posts]

I must admit, even though I read the first book as part of a book club back in 2007 or 2008, on my two reads of the entire series i've done in the past year and a half I read only a few characters as the actors that they are in the show.

I view all the Starks and Baratheons/"baratheons" as they are in the show, as well as Tyrion(I know, blasphemy) and Dany/Viserys, and Lord Walder Frey and Tywin. I also view pre-Riverrun prisoner Jaime as the actor. (but ACoK on, I definitely do not)

Some characters that my imagination actively disagrees with when I read:

Cersei, I always imagine her as a total 20 year old babe. Couldn't say why, perhaps it's the constant descriptions of her being beautiful and the fact she tries to/actually does/considers the idea of seducing so many characters.

Littlefinger, I view this guy as so greasy and slimy and much more obviously-up-to-no-good, whereas I hate the actor in the show - he is no where near the Littlefinger I wanted.

Roose Bolton, Roose(or "Rose", lol) should scare the absolute living shit out of you with his presence. I didn't even fucking realize that character in the show was supposed to represent anyone specifically, I thought he was just a generic composite general, when I learned it was Roose Bolton I literally did not believe it. (and upon a rewatch, realized I missed his line about flaying people)

What are some of the TV actors you view in your head while reading? And some of the actors that totally clash with your imagination while reading?

[Batman]

To me Tom Welling looks like Renly, and the actor they have playing him does not

Sarah Bolger would have been a better Margarey then Natalie Dormer

Other than that I think they did a good job casting

[bent branch]

While I think the cast for AGOT is excellent, those are not the people I imagine while reading.

[The Drunkard]

Stannis, Renly, Robert, Tyrion, Cersei, Marg, Queen of Thorns, Asha, Roose, Ramsay, Walder Frey, Littlefinger, Mance, Ygritte and Mandon Moore are all characters that I have a different vision of compared to the show. So yeah, heh, a lot.

Davos, however, I think is the most perfect casting ever.

[Black Wolf Smith]

I watched about 5 min of an ep, and knew I would read the books, so I changed the channel. Other then Sean Bean, no I don't think of the actors when I read the books.

[Grip]

No I dont go by the show to picture the characters in the books, though too be honest I thought of Sean Bean as Eddard before learning of the show and that he had been cast. Other then that I go by the descriptions in the books.

[infinitesunrise]

I watched season one first, but the fact that some of the characters are younger in the books than they are in the show actually helped me to form my own image of them....with the exception of Bran. I find myself having to remind myself that he has auburn hair and blue eyes. Ned will also forever be Sean Bean in my head-canon.

[Lord Addam]

Mark Addy's performance on the show was stellar, but, it kept bugging me how tiny he was, you know Robert is supposed to be 6'5-6'6. Same problem with Gethin Anthony, Renly is supposed to be tall and handsome.

I can usually overlook these things, but the physical attributes of the Baratheon's (especially Robert) are such big parts of who they are, that and being constantly mentioned in the books.

I thought Bran and Arya were exceptionally well casted.

[Black_Goat]

There are a few who stick out: I do picture Jack Gleeson as Joffrey (excellent casting) and Maisie Williams as Arya, despite the age differences. Most other characters have a different image in my head.

[nojia]

I just can't make myself picture Stannis as Stephen Dillane. Dillane has too much hair on his head and not enough on his face.

[Draxus]

I imagine the story as if it were an anime. It's the most epic way to read.

[The Mountain That Posts]

I imagine the story as if it were an anime. It's the most epic way to read.

Honestly, considering just how fucking terrible the second season and even parts of the first season were, I would've preferred the show was anime. Assuming they didn't take many(any) creative liberties. haha

[King Tyrion I]

While I think the cast for AGOT is excellent, those are not the people I imagine while reading.

:agree:

I couldn't agree more to this statement.

And I separate TV GoT from the books. The same world (setting), the same characters, but two very different stories.

[Duckfield]

Other than Ned, Jaime, Loras, Hot Pie and Mord the gaoler (lol), no one in the series really looks like their character in the books.

Especially Bran, The Hound and The Mountain, Asha, Theon, Cersei, Arya, Jon Snow, Xaro, all the Baratheons.... and more... Even Dany (eye color has such a huge significance in the books, too bad the neglected it in the TV show)

[willy york]

for a few of them. some of them like the actresses dany and cersei dont look right like they arent nearly as pretty as they are described as being

[DaveSumm]

I contort the actors faces to shape their book description; to me Tyrion is Peter Dinklage with uneven, mismatched eyes and a wonky face. A lot uglier, and evil looking (when he grins anyway). Arya is Maisie Williams but with a much longer face, Jaime & Cersei are younger and more beautiful versions of the actors (and I also kind of merge them a little to look the same).

A lot of them don't need changing though, Bran, Robb, Ned, Jon I picture the actors. The hardest thing for me for some reason is to picture the actors the right age; particularly Bran and Arya I see being 'show age' and not 'book age'.

[Ingelheim]

Jaime Lannister and Eddard Stark. But not the others.

[therustman]

Honestly, considering just how fucking terrible the second season and even parts of the first season were, I would've preferred the show was anime. Assuming they didn't take many(any) creative liberties. haha

If you thought it was bad why bother, I've never understood this.

I think it depends on if you watched the series first or not, mine is a mismatch and similar to DaveSumm

[Kobayashi Maru]

I watched season 1 twice before reading the books and by that time all characters were imprinted in my brain like they are in the show. So now only ones that are different are the ones that appeared after GoT.

[Keirut]

I usually picture the characters not as the actors, but similar to them, apart from Sansa, that I picture exactly as the show.