Cast of Game of Thrones: Sean Bean confirmed

[parsek]

Don't take it so personally. All Silverstar was saying is that Mark Addy is less well known. There's no disrespect in that, some actors are just more famous than others. Sean Bean had LotR which really improved his profile. Before that he was hardly a household name.

LOTR was years ago as Full Monty for Mark Addy (btw, you know Mark Addy won a SAG award like best supporter don't you?)

Time goes on fast chancing everything from good to bad and viceversa.

Say what you want for me Sean Bean is not better than Mark Addy, they are both professional with different attitudes.

[parsek]

You want some Sean Bean fangirl squee? :D

OMG!!!! Sean Bean plays Ned!!! OMG this iz SOOOOO Cool!! SQUEEEEEE (insert a few drool smileys this forum doesn't have)

There your go. :P

eheheh that's funny :cheers:

[Silverstar]

LOTR was years ago as Full Monty for Mark Addy (btw, you know Mark Addy won a SAG award like best supporter don't you?)

Time goes on fast chancing everything from good to bad and viceversa.

Say what you want for me Sean Bean is not better than Mark Addy, they are both professional with different attitudes.

Neither Brude or I were saying either of them were better than the other. We were just saying that more people know Sean Bean than Mark Addy, which is true :dunno:

You really don't need to get so worked up every time someone says something about him that isn't "Mark Addy is the best actor in the universe".

[Werthead]

Don't take it so personally. All Silverstar was saying is that Mark Addy is less well known. There's no disrespect in that, some actors are just more famous than others. Sean Bean had LotR which really improved his profile. Before that he was hardly a household name.

I would dispute that. Before LotR, Bean was internationally famous for his role in Sharpe (less so in the USA, admittedly), and recognisable, if not a household name, for high-profile roles in Patriot Games, GoldenEye and Ronin, all big American (or American-funded) movies.

And yes, Sean Bean is much more famous now than Mark Addy. Addy is a respected actor for both his serious and comic roles, but his more well-known on film and TV for his comedy roles. He has garnered a lot more serious attention recently for his stage work and his appearance on Red Riding and I have zero concerns about his acting ability to pull off Robert Baratheon. However, he isn't a household name, whilst Sean Bean is. Nothing wrong with that at all, it's just a fact of life.

Robert is actually a good role that could help Addy get more, serious work in the future. It's a high-profile and important role in the series, but he doesn't have a huge amount of screen time and it isn't a big, multi-year commitment. Given it's a HBO series and will (hopefully) be well-marketed, it could be a stepping stone for Addy (and indeed most of the other actors) to other things in the future. Kevin McKidd doesn't seem to have been out of work since Rome, for example.

[Brude]

I would dispute that. Before LotR, Bean was internationally famous for his role in Sharpe (less so in the USA, admittedly), and recognisable, if not a household name, for high-profile roles in Patriot Games, GoldenEye and Ronin, all big American (or American-funded) movies.

Sharpe is essentially completely unknown in the U.S., I mean it has pretty much no cultural footprint here at all. I'm not even certain it ever actually aired here - PBS most likely, if anywhere, but if it did it wasn't a hit and doesn't get repeat airings like other major shows. Bean was a successful working actor in U.S. productions before LotR and had some very good roles, but even within Hollywood his name wasn't THAT well known, probably a lot less well known than you realize. I know because I was working out there then, and people I knew who had been in the business decades didn't immediately recognize him when the casting lists were coming out for LotR. I'm sure many casting directors knew who he was and some producers were fans because he was being hired all the time, but he was not in any way a "name actor" yet. Not even close to everyone knew who he was even within the business. With LotR he got a lot of Oscar buzz and was even a favorite for a nomination - many were pretty surprised that he didn't get one. After that movie, everyone inside the industry knew exactly who he was and he achieved a very large fanbase as well.

A major role on an HBO show can be a gigantic boost for Addy. Right now, everything that airs on HBO gets a LOT of media attention. Everyone is looking to see what is going to be the next Sopranos, Deadwood, Six Feet Under (or True Blood now, I guess). People tune in, the Hollywood shows like Entertainment Tonight interview all of the actors, the celebrity rags make up stories about them and print them as truth, the blogs and papparazi start following them - silly as all of that stuff might be, it is a big part of making these people stars.

But also it's a chance to showcase one's talent in a venue that everyone within the industry pays attention to. A good turn there can easily mean a lot more work for him. That's what happened to Garret Dillahunt with Deadwood, I think, and he hasn't stopped working since - and he gets to work with many of the top actors and directors in the business now on a regular basis.

[About Yea High]

Dillahunt famously played two completely different roles in Deadwood, and played them exceptionally. He deserves every bit of praise (and work) he gets. The same for McKidd.

Myself and many of the other more, er, prolific television watchers on these boards have seem to come to the realization, long ago, that HBO simply puts some of the best fare out there. It's not just because they can get away with more (you wouldn't see Hung on CBS ... ever), but they seem to care how their name is perceived by the public. It's not just about ratings.

The hubris of it says it all: It's not TV... it's HBO. Pretty arrogant if you can't back that up, and they have so far, production wise. Everything they do looks good. Even if every show isn't every person's cup of tea, I daresay few of their shows could be accused of being produced badly, or cheap-looking. You won't see anything that looks even remotely like that dreadful Merlin series, I guarantee it. Or Xena.

Theirs is not a highbrow statement, it's just swagger.

But I'm not the only one who jumped for literal joy when HBO announced the rights to Martin's beloved series. I'm not the only one who said, "This is the ONLY way it could succeed - and they're doing it!"

Game of Thrones is being given every opportunity to not only succeed, but to then also advance the careers of those who partake in it.

Mark Addy, "comedian," will no doubt become Mark Addy, "King." Worry not, parsek, your man will garner respect and even greater roles to come.

[Kingslayer]

Sharpe is essentially completely unknown in the U.S., I mean it has pretty much no cultural footprint here at all.

Yeah, I never even heard of Sharpe until GRRM mentioned it when he confirmed the casting. And Sean Bean is still not what I would call a "household name" in the US. He's recognizable, sure, but I think most people would say, "Oh, that Lord of the Rings guy."

However, he is a fantastic actor with a following, and I can't wait to see him in this role

[Werthead]

I think WiC should really, really consider blocking anonymous and unregistered posting over there. The comments over there have degenerated into troll city.

[Rimmer]

My only concern with the casting is that in scenes with both Bean and Addy side by side, the huge disparity between them in acting ability will be too obvious. Also, when the camera is on Bean and then cuts to Addy, we'll all still be thinking about how awesome Bean is and won't really care about what Addy is saying.

(joking, parsek)

You want some Sean Bean fangirl squee? :D

OMG!!!! Sean Bean plays Ned!!! OMG this iz SOOOOO Cool!! SQUEEEEEE (insert a few drool smileys this forum doesn't have)

There your go. :P

Thanks, I think....

[Brude]

I think WiC should really, really consider blocking anonymous and unregistered posting over there. The comments over there have degenerated into troll city.

Yeah, there's a lot of annoying folks popping in there to say inane things.

[Angalin]

<mod gloves>

Everybody has his or her own opinion on the cast. Keep it civil, please.

</mod gloves>

I'm pretty sure I saw Sharpe on PBS when it first aired.

[fleurlis]

Apologies if this has already been posted, but I can't help but laugh....

http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/news/2009/0...15875-21548194/

'X-rated'? Really?

[Kingslayer]

Apologies if this has already been posted, but I can't help but laugh....

http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/news/2009/0...15875-21548194/

'X-rated'? Really?

There's no such thing as bad publicity. I'm sure I'm not the only person who got into the series by reading about how "violent/twisted/disturbing" it could be, and stayed for the amazing story. :pirate: This will attract new fans!

[Ser Greguh]

I particularly liked the quote Last night an insider said: "Sean will be perfect in the role." It's like the writer is being paid by the non-word.

[The Anti-Targ]

I hear that Sean Bean is also going to play Zeus in some Percy Jackson adaptation soon to start filming.

[Brude]

I hear that Sean Bean is also going to play Zeus in some Percy Jackson adaptation soon to start filming.

It's already been filmed, I'm pretty sure. I saw the teaser trailer before something very recently. It's the first in a series of very popular kid's books. Not sure if Zeus is in all of them.

[flying mosquito]

Risking a slow and painful death by the Inquisition, I will say a blasphemy:

I don't like Sean Bean. I don't like him in general, and I don't like him in particular for Ned. He doesn't match my inner view of him.

BTW, I don't like Addy to play Robert, though I think he's a good actor. IMO he does not fit Robert's description, let's see if he can convince me with his interpretation skills.

Sigh. Now, please, keep it civil and remember that this is just an opinable matter.

[iheartseverus]

LOL, well, you know what happens when a flying mosquito lands on someone's arm. SPLAT!!

And don't worry about not liking Sean, that's okay, I like him enough for both of us!

[Ser_not_appearing_yet]

Risking a slow and painful death by the Inquisition, I will say a blasphemy:

I don't like Sean Bean. I don't like him in general, and I don't like him in particular for Ned. He doesn't match my inner view of him.

BTW, I don't like Addy to play Robert, though I think he's a good actor. IMO he does not fit Robert's description, let's see if he can convince me with his interpretation skills.

Sigh. Now, please, keep it civil and remember that this is just an opinable matter.

Quite a few fans feel that way. Guess we'll have to wait and see what he's like in the role.

[AxB]

About height and age: GGRM himself, for years said the only casting he had in mind was Ron Perlman for the Hound. That's the 6'0", 59 year old Ron Perlman for the 6'8", late twenties Sandor Clegane.

The Princess Bride was badly cast, because they had the 6'9" Andre Roussimoff playing the 7'3" Andre the Giant playing the 'over seven feet tall' Fezzik.