Never thought I'd miss Ed Skrein, but...

[LordStoneheart]

Where are people getting this "the old guy had mad #swags bro!" from? I've just rewatched all the S3 Daario scenes and they're nothing that could be called "swagger" at all.

[Don Roberto]

Does anyone know why they dropped the old Daario? Contract issues?

We all know the real reason. The cryout due to Robb's death was gigantic, especially from the female fanbase. They needed a new Robb for girls to drool over, and the only character this coming season who could pull that off (and isn't likely to die in the foreseeable future) was Daario. New Daario even looks like Richard Madden, somewhat.

[Red Tiger]

Agreed, yeah old Daario was a sleazeball but at least he had a certain slick charisma.

[Oberyn2cool4Westeros]

I am another one disappointed by the change. Last Daario for me was spot-on: had the swagger and the bad boy vibe and you could see that even from the first moment when he was standing there with a smirk in Dany's tent. New Daario seems like the guy you bring home to your parents.

I wish they had changed him with another actor that looked a little like old Daario, long hair, something, just to ensure some continuity. This guy is cute but not distinctive enough in a show full of bearded men - not to mention the unsullied are probably lost on who he is.

He just doesn't stand out. The last one was at least memorable. Both the way he spoke and how he looked popped out and - even if I wasn't a giant fan of him (nor am I of book Daario) he at least made an impression. This new guy seems like random kind soldier #41 in your standard army.

Those are just my first impressions of him. There's still time for him to do something to make him stand out and what-not, but old Daario came in with a bang, so first appearances do matter. They've made plenty of changes to characters from book to TV series, some good - some not so much, so I guess it's all about personal preference.

[Cyril]

Whatever they did with Daario, regardless of the quality of the actor, didn't work in the first episode.

I watch the show with a few Unsullied and, even though I told them Daario had been recast and even though his name was repeated over and over that first scene, the performance, writing, and actor were so different that they still asked me "So, who is that?" and "Where's that creepy dude Daenerys was all over last season?"

I agree with the sentiment earlier in the thread that appearance-wise he's terrible as well. He's better suited to be a northerner than a Tyroshi. He's a bit like I imaged Brandon to look like.

[Er Rn]

I agree with a lot of the earlier posts.

I don't have any complaints with the re-casting wrt acting ability. I think the fault lies more with the wardrobe and hair/makeup. Old Daario at least had a look that was different and memorable. The new Daario looks like Random Northern Soldier #26.

[Mother of Mini Dragons]

I agree with a lot of the earlier posts.

I don't have any complaints with the re-casting wrt acting ability. I think the fault lies more with the wardrobe and hair/makeup. Old Daario at least had a look that was different and memorable. The new Daario looks like Random Northern Soldier #26.

Yeah, he kind of looks like an older Jon Snow but nowhere near as beautiful as Kit Harrington. I'm reserving judgment on his characterization of Daario, but I really wish they would have done some a bit more creative with his wardrobe and styling to make him stand-out and be easier to remember. He is going to be Dany's paramour - so he should be remarkable. Her with some boring dude just doesn't fit.

[Nictarion]

Not impressed with either but at least its a character nobody likes anyway.

Speak for yourself.

[Ser Desmond Wine's Bane]

only bitter idiots think such a sexist thing as as "friendzone" exists,

The term 'friendzone' is sexist?

oooooo-kayyyy

[TheNorth's1stKnight]

both daarios are horrible they miscast him big time

[Thelastactionhero]

Where are people getting this "the old guy had mad #swags bro!" from? I've just rewatched all the S3 Daario scenes and they're nothing that could be called "swagger" at all.

If the vast majority of people are seeing something you aren't, its plausible that the problem lies on your end. What you found wooden, stilted, and not unlike a teleprompter, I found absolutely electrifying. Now bear in mind, I don't think Skrein is a neccessarily a "good" actor in the traditional sense of the word, but he nailed the part with more than just his looks. Daario is a simple minded character with a one track mind, and thus Skrein's inability to convey a complex emotional register is actually a surprising asset that makes his performance feel incredibly natural, despite its lack of nuance (Daario himself doesn't have any nuance so it works). Definitely seems that the majority are in agreement, whatever one thinks of Skrein's acting abilities, that he had a booming stage precense. Huisman feels really drab by comparison, and whether this is simply a result of how bland he looks or the way they've written the material for him this season, I don't think its surprising that people feel Skrein did a better job capturing the persona of Daario.

[LordStoneheart]

The term 'friendzone' is sexist?

oooooo-kayyyy

[perfectdark]

Daario v1.0 was the type of guy who could steal your gf. It's understandable why he got some hate. He had plenty of spunk and you could easily see sexual tension rising between him and daenerys. He has the same charisma that made Arnold famous, he doesn't need acting skills as he sells you the part with his body language. He portrayed the pleasure seeking egomaniac/ unpredictable psychopath to perfection. It is no wonder he got snapped for big action movie role ( there is no way he would turn that down for got).

Daario v2.0 is almost the opposite. He delivered his line with a mumble, I needed subtitles to comprehend him. His posture was almost hunched and he didn't display any signs of self-confidence. He had weak eye contact and chemistry with Emilia, whereas Ed had that soul piercing stare. The new Daario is too delicate and acts more like a henchmen than a feared killer. The script was poor and didn't fit the character at all. I am completely underwhelmed by the actor's performance but also believe it's a huge miscast, no matter how skilled he might be it will be an extremely hard sell.

This completely ruins the build up to the Targaryan story for me.

[changalang]

If the vast majority of people are seeing something you aren't, its plausible that the problem lies on your end. What you found wooden, stilted, and not unlike a teleprompter, I found absolutely electrifying. Now bear in mind, I don't think Skrein is a neccessarily a "good" actor in the traditional sense of the word, but he nailed the part with more than just his looks. Daario is a simple minded character with a one track mind, and thus Skrein's inability to convey a complex emotional register is actually a surprising asset that makes his performance feel incredibly natural, despite its lack of nuance (Daario himself doesn't have any nuance so it works). Definitely seems that the majority are in agreement, whatever one thinks of Skrein's acting abilities, that he had a booming stage precense. Huisman feels really drab by comparison, and whether this is simply a result of how bland he looks or the way they've written the material for him this season, I don't think its surprising that people feel Skrein did a better job capturing the persona of Daario.

Funny thing is that I'm only seeing this majority in the fandom versus the majority of critics. The majority of external media reviews I've read have given the thumbs up to New!Daario, probably because they found Old!Daario to be skeezy as hell. But again, this is where you and I (and they) differ: you liked the character that way, I didn't. I can see Dany falling for this Daario much more easily than the other, but again it's different strokes for different folks.

So please don't tell us that "the problem lies on [our] end". We have our opinions, you have yours. Yours are no more valid than ours, and vice versa. We can say that you're crazy for liking the Old!Daario just as you can say that we're crazy for liking the New!Daario, but the fact remains that whether you think it's a massively bad re-cast or not, he's here to stay for two seasons at least, so you might as well give him a little more than a scene or two to grow on you - even if you still end up hating him. Complaining about it is not going to get you a EvenNewer!Daario.

And one last time, since people don't seem to be getting this: it appears that D&D are trying to change the character itself. From the casting to the clothing to the dialogue, it's PURPOSEFULLY different. They could have slapped a blond wig on this new guy, asked him to shave and get a new set of teeth, but they didn't. They also didn't write him like last season within his first two scenes. You might not like this more subdued Daario, I might not even like this more subdued Daario (because Michiel can play the hell out of an arrogant SOB) but if that's the way they're going with it, that's the way they're going with it, unfortunately for continuity's sake.

[Jehanne]

Yeah, he kind of looks like an older Jon Snow but nowhere near as beautiful as Kit Harrington. I'm reserving judgment on his characterization of Daario, but I really wish they would have done some a bit more creative with his wardrobe and styling to make him stand-out and be easier to remember. He is going to be Dany's paramour - so he should be remarkable. Her with some boring dude just doesn't fit.

Exactly. Dany is "no ordinary woman," as she told the Spice Merchant in Qarth.

Eric Bana seemed like a 14yo boy courting an annoyed 20 year-old beauty queen. I hope they ramp up his game....and soon.

[Jehanne]

Daario v1.0 was the type of guy who could steal your gf. It's understandable why he got some hate. He had plenty of spunk and you could easily see sexual tension rising between him and daenerys. He has the same charisma that made Arnold famous, he doesn't need acting skills as he sells you the part with his body language. He portrayed the pleasure seeking egomaniac/ unpredictable psychopath to perfection. It is no wonder he got snapped for big action movie role ( there is no way he would turn that down for got).

Daario v2.0 is almost the opposite. He delivered his line with a mumble, I needed subtitles to comprehend him. His posture was almost hunched and he didn't display any signs of self-confidence. He had weak eye contact and chemistry with Emilia, whereas Ed had that soul piercing stare. The new Daario is too delicate and acts more like a henchmen than a feared killer. The script was poor and didn't fit the character at all. I am completely underwhelmed by the actor's performance but also believe it's a huge miscast, no matter how skilled he might be it will be an extremely hard sell.

Great post. I couldn't agree more.

[Le Cygne]

I like Daario, books and show. There's more to the story on a closer read.

At first I resisted the recasting, but then was fine with it. I think he'll win people over.

[Arak-iri]

I don't understand all the hate Ed Skrein had to deal with. He totally nailed the dangerous/seductive/cocky aspect of his character.

The new actor on the other hand only seems like a good looking tool. I love Dany and she's all kindsof badass, but int he books, daario was having the uppper hand int their relationship. So far, the new daario seems to be chasing dany, not the other way.

[Thelastactionhero]

Funny thing is that I'm only seeing this majority in the fandom versus the majority of critics. The majority of external media reviews I've read have given the thumbs up to New!Daario, probably because they found Old!Daario to be skeezy as hell. But again, this is where you and I (and they) differ: you liked the character that way, I didn't. I can see Dany falling for this Daario much more easily than the other, but again it's different strokes for different folks.

So please don't tell us that "the problem lies on [our] end". We have our opinions, you have yours. Yours are no more valid than ours, and vice versa. We can say that you're crazy for liking the Old!Daario just as you can say that we're crazy for liking the New!Daario, but the fact remains that whether you think it's a massively bad re-cast or not, he's here to stay for two seasons at least, so you might as well give him a little more than a scene or two to grow on you - even if you still end up hating him. Complaining about it is not going to get you a EvenNewer!Daario.

And one last time, since people don't seem to be getting this: it appears that D&D are trying to change the character itself. From the casting to the clothing to the dialogue, it's PURPOSEFULLY different. They could have slapped a blond wig on this new guy, asked him to shave and get a new set of teeth, but they didn't. They also didn't write him like last season within his first two scenes. You might not like this more subdued Daario, I might not even like this more subdued Daario (because Michiel can play the hell out of an arrogant SOB) but if that's the way they're going with it, that's the way they're going with it, unfortunately for continuity's sake.

I don't think you're crazy for liking the recast, even though we strongly disagree. My response was more in regards to the other poster, who chided the majority of us for praising Skrein's air of confidence and bravado, as though we're all seeing something that isn't there (and if you'll notice, my criticisms of Huisman have nothing to do with his abilities as an actor). I haven't read all the critical reviews, but something I find striking is that you believe this sense of "skeeviness" Skrein brought to the role is somehow a detriment. The fact of the matter is that Daario is skeevy. Daario is a soulless murderer who kills for pleasure as much as he kills for gold. Sure, it doesn't make him likeable, but that's not how he's written in the books either. There's been points made here about his body language, however, that are definitely of interest regarding this divide between NewDaario and OldDaario (which does, on some level, come down to taste). With Huisman, I'm just not buying the swashbuckling arrogance that subtley trying to sell. This has as much to do with the content on Sunday night as it does his actual body language. He's not holding himself with this booming air of confidence that seemed to just to ooze out of Skrein naturally. Like I said, we'll see what happens though. Whether it's the writing, as you're suggesting, or his delivery or both, I am currently underwhelmed with Daario. Maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised. Still too early to call the jury back for a final verdict.

[changalang]

I don't think you're crazy for liking the recast, even though we strongly disagree. My response was more in regards to the other poster, who chided the majority of us for praising Skrein's air of confidence and bravado, as though we're all seeing something that isn't there (and if you'll notice, my criticisms of Huisman have nothing to do with his abilities as an actor). I haven't read all the critical reviews, but something I find striking is that you believe this sense of "skeeviness" Skrein brought to the role is somehow a detriment. The fact of the matter is that Daario is skeevy. Daario is a soulless murderer who kills for pleasure as much as he kills for gold. Sure, it doesn't make him likeable, but that's not how he's written in the books either. There's been points made here about his body language, however, that are definitely of interest regarding this divide between NewDaario and OldDaario (which does, on some level, come down to taste). With Huisman, I'm just not buying the swashbuckling arrogance that subtley trying to sell. This has as much to do with the content on Sunday night as it does his actual body language. He's not holding himself with this booming air of confidence that seemed to just to ooze out of Skrein naturally. Like I said, we'll see what happens though. Whether it's the writing, as you're suggesting, or his delivery or both, I am currently underwhelmed with Daario. Maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised. Still too early to call the jury back for a final verdict.

I do like that you're giving him a chance, versus writing him off like many fans are. I hope he'll pleasantly surprise you (and that D&D will pleasantly surprise us and give him better scenes than the first episode).

I think the "skeeviness" was a detriment only because he's the love interest of one of the leading ladies on the show. From what I've read on this board, many people were banging their heads against a table trying to read Dany's chapters when she was romancing Daario because they didn't understand how she could fall for him because of this particularly (un-)charming trait. I'll give you that many people like their leading ladies falling for a "bad boy", but usually only when there's also a redemption arc for that "bad boy" put in place. Plus these "bad boys" are never particularly skeevy, they're usually just brooding and taciturn. I just think D&D figured that they needed someone less "skeevy" and more likeable if we're going to have to put up with him for two seasons, whether this particular decision is justified or not.