Last years was popular...Season 3 Over. Lets rate the new casting!

[Ferrum Aeternum]

Mero - did exactly what he needed to do in a very short space of time.

...

Kraznys

Yup, those two deserve special mention. Both were outstanding in smaller roles.

[One of Three]

Best:

Paul Kaye as Thoros: Probably my favourite new character of this season. You know it's a good character when you just want him/her to come back on screen.

Diana Rigg as Lady Olenna: A funny character and great to watch, but if she gets over used the joke might were off quickly

Iwan Rheon as Ramsey: Brilliant casting (since he's getting nothing but psychopath roles), Had the best line in the whole series "If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention."

Kerry Ingram as Shireen: Surprising good and the greyscale looks great. Freaked me out when I saw it.

OK:

Ellie Kendrick and Thomas Brody-Sangster as Meera and Jojen: Did the job ok, but nothing specially really. Perhaps because I'm not interested in Bran's story.

Richard Dormer as Beric: Did the job fine, but not rememberable

Tara Fitzgerald as Selyse: Good at playing insane, but underused and the writing made it look like she didn't care about her daughter.

Natalie Emmanuel as Missendei: Did the job ok, but not rememberable.

ED Skein as Daario: Didn't see much of, but I'm glad they don't do the blue/green/yellow/pink poka-dots hair thing in the show.

Kristofer Hivju as Tormund: I thought he was ok and I did hear a Har! at one point I think.

Bad:

Ciaran Hinds as Mance: Writing for him wasn't that good, plus I find Mance I bit redundant of a character.

McKenzie Crook as Orell: ...meh. Think the writing for him was pretty poor. Just made as an actual antagonist for Jon.

[boojam]

I have faith Ciaran Hinds can do a great Mance if he's given good writing. He wasn't.

I think this had more to do with the teleplay writing, plus Ciaran Hinds had so little screen time , next season should be better.

My lord he's in 6 movies coming up , it had to imagine how he had time to even be on contract!

[Broken Fox]

Everyone was good, but these 3 were the best:

Tormund Giantsbane - Though funny and charismatic, he's one of the most feared and respected wildlings there is and second only to Mance Rayder. Don't understand why people expected some big teddy bear. This guy was perfect.

Thoros of Myr - Loved him from the first scene. Goes from the singing, drinking badass swordsman to the enigmatic Red Priest. Incredible range.

Brynden "The Blackfish" Tully - Nailed it.

[Jon of the Dead]

Best:

Thoros: Much more memorable than the book version and Paul Kaye kicks all kinds of ass...but I still miss Tom o' Sevens

Olenna: Awesome, but as someone mentioned upthread, she can lose her appeal if they overuse her

Edmure: My absolute favorite of the new cast, Tobias Menzies rocks the role of the floppy fish

Ramsey and Roose: Hated those characters in the novels and found them boring and uninteresting, but Iwan and Michael made me like them so much more than the book versions

Jojen and Meera: Same as the Boltons, the book characters bore me to tears but I like the show versions more

Shireen: Excellent performance. Child actors in GoT are light years ahead of child actors in any other show (especially in Once upon a time, that boy is terrible)

OK:

Orell

Missandei

Beric

Selyse

Acting was ok, but writing was OOC:

Blackfish

Tormund (Kristofer Hivju looks the part, but is nothing like Tormund, which sucks as he is one of my favorites)

Bad:

Daario: too cheesy, too over the top, but I guess he's like that in the books as well :dunno:

Mance: Hinds is a legendary actor but this was a legendary miscast, one of NIna Gold's only two fails (Asha is the other one, btw) :leaving:

[Gregor's Nancy Boy]

Brynden "The Blackfish" Tully - Clive Russell

Acting: 10/10

Looks: 10/10

Overall Portrayal: 10/10

Notes: Probably my favorite casting. He's just perfect for Blackfish on every level.

Edmure Tully - Tobias Menzies

Acting: 9/10

Looks: 1/10

Overall Portrayal: 7/10

Notes: Looked nothing like the Edmure I know. "Not the sharpest tool in the shed" is apparently his forte though.

Thoros of Myr - Paul Kaye

Acting: 10/10

Looks: 10/10

Overall Portrayal: 10/10

Notes: Kaye not only did a fine Thoros, he spiced things up with a little Tom O'Sevens.

Beric Dondarrion - Richard Dormer

Acting: 10/10

Looks: 9/10

Overall Portrayal: 10/10

Notes: A little old for the role but Beric's age never really mattered. Dormer is an excellent actor.

Selsye Florent - Tara Fitzgerald

Acting: 10/10

Looks: 10/10

Overall Portrayal: 10/10

Notes: Crazy, creepy, and ugly as it should be (sorry Ms. Tara).

Shireen Baratheon - Kerry Ingram

Acting: 10/10

Looks: 9/10

Overall Portrayal: 10/10

Notes: As far as kid actors go, Ingram is great. Thankful for the Greyscale but blonde hair? She's a Baratheon!

Mance Rayder - Ciaran Hinds

Acting: 9/10

Looks: 4/10

Overall Portrayal: 7/10

Notes: He's way too old and grumpy! I could never imagine him as a bard. At least he's good at old and grumpy.

Orell - Mackenzie Crook

Acting: 10/10

Looks: 10/10

Overall Portrayal: 10/10

Notes: I think he based his character off Varamyr and he really came off as a haughty warg.

Tormund Giantsbane - Kristofer Hivju

Acting: 10/10

Looks: 9/10

Overall Portrayal: 10/10

Notes: Tormund is kissed by fire? And he doesn't say HAR? Well his accent makes him loveable. Who cares.

Jojen Reed - Thomas Brodie-Sangster

Acting: 10/10

Looks: 10/10

Overall Portrayal: 10/10

Notes: I was really impressed with this kid on every level. He was a great find.

Meera Reed - Ellie Kendrick

Acting: 7/10

Looks: 10/10

Overall Portrayal: 9/10

Notes: Ellie Kendrick is really cute. If only she had more scenes with Bran and led the team like Meera's supposed to.

Missandei - Nathalie Emmanuel

Acting: 10/10

Looks: 10/10

Overall Portrayal: 10/10

Notes: I assume it's hard for some actors to convey weakness (Richard Madden) but Ms. Nathalie nailed it.

Olenna Tyrell - Diana Rigg

Acting: 10/10

Looks: 10/10

Overall Portrayal: 10/10

Notes: Pretty much exactly how I imagined Olenna.

Ramsay Snow - Iwan Rheon

Acting: 7/10

Looks: 5/10

Overall Portrayal: 6/10

Notes: Ramsay is EVIL, controlling, and scary as fuck. Rheon comes off as a bully who'd eat it on the battlefield.

Daario Naharis - Ed Skrein

Acting: 9/10

Looks: 1/10

Overall Portrayal: 5/10

Notes: I really wish the actor who played Mero got Daario's role instead of Skrein. I hate this guy's face.

Locke - Noah Taylor

Acting: 10/10

Looks: 10/10

Overall Portrayal: 8/10

Notes: Vargo Hoat with a different name and missing his lisp? But I think Taylor could have pulled that off nicely...

[tito5601]

the actors playing locke , queen of torns, and thoros were the best for me, the guy who played darrio was pretty good so it the girl who played shireen these characters are rhte same as how i imagined them in the book..... didint see enough of selyse to judge and i feel like the blackfish could have been abit better same goes for beric(although he is slightly better than blackfish) i think edmure was okay all season apart from ep 9 in that he was greattt

[tito5601]

oh and how can ppl forget kraznyss he wasnt so bad

[The Boar of Gore]

Burn Gorman as Karl - too bad he won't get much (any?) more screen time. Maybe he'll be back as a particularly awesome wight.

Richard Dormer as Beric - ditto. He made a big impression and now he's most likely gone.

Iwan Rheon as Ramsay - I'm not as impressed as a lot of people seem to be, but perhaps it's not his fault. I would have needed someone as compelling on screen as Charles Dance to make me enjoy wasting so much good viewing time on those stupid torture scenes.

Ed Skrein as Daario - cheesy. Maybe it's the script, not the actor. But, cheesy.

Jacob Anderson as Grey Worm - pretty good. Shows potential.

Nathalie Emmanuel as Missandei - ditto.

Clive Russell as the Blackfish - perfect casting as a rugged older man type. Hope to see him shaking his fist from the walls of Riverrun next season, saying "You'll never take this castle!" like Leondegrance.

Kerry Ingram as Shireen - another good child actor! And she sang that song perfectly.

Paul Kaye as Thoros of Myr - excellent performance.

Philip McGinley as Anguy the Archer - convincing in his role.

[The Boar of Gore]

Oh, Diana Rigg goes without saying. :bowdown:

[The Boar of Gore]

Nina Gold knocked it out of the park; she's three for three now for awesome casting seasons. On to Season 4...

Nina Gold! We should all :bowdown:

[Waylin Stark]

Awesome:

Brynden "Blackfish" Tully:

Perfect. So badass with his acting. His rough voice and towering figure make him cooler than the book version. Best opening scene.

Olenn "Queen of Thorns" Tyrell:

Perfect. Great acting, fabulous attitude. She really brought the book character to life.

Ramsay Snow:

GOD DAMN. Iwan Rheon was PERFECT. Best potrayal in the season, and of the best in the series. He might not look ugly, but his features are those of a psychopath. Also looks like a Northerner and Roose's son. Better than the book version because he has a slight boyish attitude. I'm scared that I'm starting to like him.

Locke:

Really terrifying. Has most of Hoat's looks, but really sadistic. Spot on.

Thoros:

Great. Not just the serious version but really witty as well.

Good:

Beric Dondarrion:

Good. A bit old, but fine. Should have given him more scenes.

Anguy:

Really cool. Loved how he was mocking the Hound.

Edmure Tully:

Lovable idiot.

Meera Reed:

Really good, but deserved more screentime.

Jojen Reed:

Didn't like him in the books. Much cooler here.

Qyburn:

Good portrayal. I thought he'd be more creepy.

Kraznys:

Does a good portrayal and makes you hate him.

Grey Worm:

Reall good.

Mero:

Perfect, but really deserved more scenes.

Karl:

Really creepy.

Orell:

Not bad.

Missandei:

Good, but should have been younger.

Okay:

Mance Rayder:

Supposed to be a likable bard. Too little screentime and very forgettable.

Tormund Giantsbane:

Intimidating but not at all funny.

Daario:

Too damn cocky. But that's how he is. Also, no blue beard and gold tooth? Was looking forward to it!

Selyse Baratheon:

Creepy.

Shireen Baratheon:

Fine.

[TheEvilKing]

Great Casting:

Thoros of Myr

Shireen Baratheon

Jojen Reed

Olenna Tyrell

Ramsay Snow

Astapor Slaver

Pretty Good:

Beric Dondarrion

Selsye Florent

Orell

Tormund Giantsbane

Missandei

Black Walder & Lame Lothar

Locke

Grey Worm

Yunkai Slaver

Good But Not Given Enough To Do:

Edmure Tully

Qyburn

Might Be A Good Actor But Shit Writing Unfortunately:

Brynden "The Blackfish" Tully

Great Actor, Disappointing Performance:

Mance Rayder

Mediocre:

Meera Reed

Titan of Braavos

Crap:

Daario Naharis

Anguy

[Weeping Sore]

I think I've got to give top marks to Paul Kaye as Thoros. I give a lot of credit to this casting because it's a little "off" - I didn't picture Thoros looking anything like Kaye, and also expected him to be "foreign", as in Myrish. Paul Kaye's Thoros is a pure delight every second he's on screen.

In a similar vein, Iwan Rheon as Ramsay is terrific though quite unlike book Ramsay, who it seems to me was a bit bigger and dumber.

Kristofer Hivju initially seemed too grim as Tormund, but I thought the performance developed nicely in limited screen time as the season went on. Now I really like him. I think Book Tormund would have seemed like a clown on this show.

Ciaran Hinds as Mance was the only important miss, but it's still possible he turns it around as Mance gets something more interesting to do. (An interview with Hinds in Vulture seemed to show he knew distressingly little about the character)

[MyLittleDirewolf]

The Mance Rayder thing is odd because Dominic West said in an interview that he turned the role down because it was a six-month commitment in Iceland, which suggests the role was originally much more significant. It doesn't take months to film three or four short scenes. Maybe after West turned it down they scaled the role back in order to get a commiment from Hinds - they're both big names with (I imagine) busy schedules.

I wish I didn't know Dominic West had been offered the role of Mance. He would have been perfect. Much more handsome and charming, like Book-Mance. Picturing what West would have done with the role probably played a part in my disappointment in the portrayal of Mance. With Ciarian Hinds, they went for old and gruff...again. We have enough of those characters in the GoT world.

[Blasted Femur]

Very good casting choices all round, but for me the best was easily Thoros of Myr. I was a little unsure about the actor when I first saw him, and I've never cared too much for Thoros in the books, but I really liked him on the show.

Out of the rest, my favourites are:

Locke - managed to be both funny and menacing at once. Looking forward to seeing where the showrunners go with him.

Edmure - the actor was really good at conveying emotion through body language and facial expression.

Beric - seemed badass and compassionate at the same time, his wounds were appropriately grisly, and his fight scene was excellent

Qyburn - made a strong impression despite not having much screentime, and the scene where he discusses his motivations for his "experiments" really showcased his character depth, when he could easily have come across as a generic mad scientist.

Selyse/Shireen - Selyse didn't really have enough screentime but she was memorably crazy - the foetus jars were genuinely creepy and sort of heartbreaking at the same time. Shireen's scenes with Davos were superb.

Jojen - I actively hate the character in the books, but he grew on me in the show. The actor has a kind of otherworldly look about him which seems suitable for Jojen.

Kraznys/Mero - both were memorably vile antagonists to Daenerys, and both of them practically exuded misogyny - Kraznys through condescension, Mero through lewdness. However, as good as the actors were, the fact remains that Daenerys hasn't had a genuinely interesting antagonist since Viserys and Mirri Maz Duur died - Xaro was boring and Pyat Pree was entertaining but ultimately a panto villain.

[Stannis' shadow babies]

I will just name my top favorites:

-Thoros: totally erased the mental image I had when I read the books with an improved version. I would love to see him go crazy fighting with his flaming sword. And I love how he speaks Valyrian.

-Edmure: same as above. I like how the actor plays the fool of the bunch without overdoing it.

-Shireen: that girl is just fantastic.

-Lady Olenna: because Queen of Thorns is a delight to watch.

Honorable mention: Grey Worm. Because you see him and you believe he had his parts cut. Now seriously, in a good way. He's got the childish look, the stoic, serious and solemn stare I imagined when I read the book. Plus he fights with a spear like a boss

-Blackfish Tully: wasn't sure about the lines and the way he behaved in some scenes but the actor is great. I'm looking forward to see him back with a vengeance.

[Veltigar]

They were all good, but Kerry Ingram really stole the show for me. Hinds didn't have enough screentime (or memorable events) to Judge his performance IMO, even Kraznys had more to do than him (great actor for Kraznys, but not really an important character)

[Ser Luke.]

Brynden "The Blackfish" Tully - Clive Russell

I don't think they wrote the character particularly well, but Russell played what there was fine, and definitely looked the part.

Edmure Tully - Tobias Menzies

Spot-on.

Thoros of Myr - Paul Kaye

Initially didn't think much of him, but he really grew on me, even though he really doesn't look like I imagined the character.

Beric Dondarrion - Richard Dormer

Really good. Had a killer introductory scene.

Selsye Florent - Tara Fitzgerald

Very different take on the character, but she acted it well. Only one scene, of course, but still good.

Shireen Baratheon - Kerry Ingram

Adorable.

Mance Rayder - Ciaran Hinds

Kind of a disappointment, though that's probably more in the writing. Mance was very toned down, so there's little memorable about him.

Orell - Mackenzie Crook

Meh. Kind of an odd bit of casting, really, given the reasonably recognizable actor, in such an unmemorable part.

Tormund Giantsbane - Kristofer Hivju

Definitely looks the part, but apart from one scene, very little to distinguish the character. That seems to be a theme with the Wildlings.

Jojen Reed - Thomas Brodie-Sangster

Meera Reed - Ellie Kendrick

Both Reed siblings are nicely cast, although the show didn't have much for them to do.

Missandei - Nathalie Emmanuel

Well-acted and likeable, though without any really standout scenes, as observed earlier in the thread.

Olenna Tyrell - Diana Rigg

Nailed the part, although they really need to be careful not to overuse this character (also, she's so obviously written to be a scene-stealer).

Ramsay Snow - Iwan Rheon

Perfect.

Daario Naharis - Ed Skrein

Much better than the character in the books, simply by not looking ridiculous.

Locke - Noah Taylor

Made for a good minor villain.

I agree with just about all of this :agree:

[mankytoes]

In terms of how I read the character, Edmure was spot on in looks and character.

Jojen annoyed me a bit because he seemed cocky, which is a long way off the book character.