The Best Casting and Worst Casting (in your opinion).

[Honourable Ser]

Best casting, I love almost everyone in the show so I'll throw some mentions out to Iain Glen, Conleth Hill, Charles Dance, Natalie Dormer and Aiden Gillen (love the moustachio twirling villain he's presented as).

As for the worst...I can't really get behind Kristain Nairn, I just think they could have gone for any number of tall actors. As well as him, an honourable mention to Nicholas Blane with the most shocking overacting I have seen in a long time. "Dreams. Terrible dreams!"

[Meddler]

Overall, the casting has been fantastic. I even think in the case of characters that are lacking compared to the book, such as LF and Renly, it's more the writing than the casting. LF is my least favorite adapted character, but I think casting-wise Aiden Gillen should have been a fine choice. Renly was a bit more blah.

I'd say my least favorite casting so far was probably Nonso Alonzie as Xaro. I get that they wanted to change the character, but I don't see how it fit at all. He felt completely contrived, and only further weakened an already weak S2 Dany storyline.

[Blutrabe]

John Bradley is alarmingly under-mentioned here. He embodies Sam.

[Honourable Ser]

John Bradley is alarmingly under-mentioned here. He embodies Sam.

You're right I completely forgot him! For one heartstopping moment though, I thought you were putting him down as a bad piece of casting ;-)

[The Ghost of Winter]

Dance is perfect! His voice is so powerful, I wish he could narrate my life.

[ejhawman]

Have to agree with most here, Charles Dance as Tywin is perfect. This is a rare instance of a show overwriting my image of the book character, mainly because I found it hard to keep the book description in mind. It just kept not looking right when I was reading.

Same with Stannis. In this case I couldn't accept his being mostly bald on top. I kept imagining him looking like what they ended up making him look like using Stephen Dillane.

Dany is my favorite, but a lot of people could do her. Probably many could look more natural than Emilia Clarke, but she works well enough. My image of Viserys, as well, was pretty generic, whereas Harry Lloyd was amazing, gave him real character.

Worst miscasts... closest I can think of is Cersei. Lena Headey was fine in Sarah Connor Chronicles and 300, but just does not match Cersei for me.

[Dysun]

Shae the funny whore is just awful, I get them wanting to change her non-character from the book. But the actress just can't even hold a candle to Peter Dinklage and that's who she shares 90% of her screen time with.

[Don Roberto]

I completely take back my statement about Grey Worm. He still doesn't quite look the part, but his fight scene in ep9 was great, gave a really nice undefeatable feeling to the Unsullieds.

[Cercei's_Smirk]

I really think most of the casting fits.

I had a very hard time with Lena Heady as Cercei in S1. But I think now she really knows how to play her and does a good job.

I have always thought Catelyn was miscast. She definitely is a great actor but it just didn't click for me.

Littlefinger is awesome. Loved him as Tommy in The Wire too.

ETA: How could I forget? Shae - the actor is woefully mismatched to the character in my opinion.

[Cercei's_Smirk]

Lena Headey doesn't do it for me. She's quite good at the smarmy, manipulative side of Cersei but her range is limited to precisely one facial exp<b></b>ression. Even when she smiles it looks like an upside down frown. Which is why they had to rewrite the character to suit the actress.

Tricia Helfer should have been Cersei. Oh wells.

*GASP*

Yes! She would have made a great Cercei!!

[Lurtz of Orthanc]

Best casting is hard because so many of them are superb. Worst is obvious, s2 Mountain, but that's kind of a moot point. I think most REGRETTED miscasting is Mance. Hinds just brings nothing special to the role. Dominic West made a huge mistake turning down that part, he could have OWNED it. We need more actors from The Wire on this show.

[Leif]

Like others have said, The Mountain in Season 2. Was it ever stated why they got rid of the original actor who played him? He was perfect.

Everyone else is pretty much perfect. Some even made the characters better than they were in the books.

[bobbybuilderton]

Worst for me are Daario, Mance, Talisa. I don't care for the actor of Daario, I think he's bad and his delivery is irritating. Mance doesn't strike me as charismatic or strong. Talisa goes without saying.

everyone else is great.

[WillWork4NinjaPowers]

Best-

Tywin

Arya (even though they are messing her up, a bit)

QoT

Varys

The Reeds

Old Nan

Sam

Sandor

Joffrey

Tyrion

Worst

Renley

Mance

Shae

Mel

Loras and Stannis bug me because of what the show has done to the characters.

[Jehane]

I like most of the cast, and having read all the books, it was a pleasure to start watching season 1, knowing exactly who that character on screen was even before he or she had been introduced - because the actors and actresses had been cast so damn well. There were a couple of exceptions, though, i.e. some characters I didn't recognize instantly - Davos, for example. I had imagined him a lot younger than he is in the series. I couldn't say that any of the actors is downright awful; I think they're all doing an amazing job. Best cast: Ned, Cat, Jaime, Tyrion (of course!), Arya (that girl is amazing!), Viserys, Joffrey (boy, it's so much fun to hate him, he's doing a wonderful job - same with Viserys), Theon, Tywin, basically all the kids, Bronn.... I also like Lena Headey as Cersei though I'm constantly irritated by her dark eyebrows *g* Oh, and I think they've found the perfect Brienne. And I like Emilia Clarke as Dany :) However, I still haven't gotten used to Grey Worm, I always thought he'd be a) a little older and B) a little more beefy - not bodybuilder-beefy but, well...not that THIN. As for Daario, I'm just glad they left out the purple beard and blue hair (or was it the other way around?); other than that I really don't care because Daario is just one big slimeball and I want him gone - both from the book and the show *g*

[Bestkeptsecret]

Tywin, Varys and Lord Commander Mormont are my favorite portrayals, though pretty much all are fantastic... with the exception of Shae, Xaro and Mance

[grrmforreal]

I couldn't imagine anyone else playing Eddard Stark other than Sean Bean. It's actually how I pictured him while reading the novels.

Lookswise, the guy they cast as Benjen was perfect. He has exactly what I think of when I think of the "Stark look".

Worst cast for me thus far is, unfortunately, all of the Baratheon brothers. Particularly Stannis. Dillane is a fine actor and I can't tell if it's him or the material, but this is just not how I pictured Stannis at all. I was hoping against hope that they could get Mark Strong to portray him.....alas his movie cred may be too high for this show.

The guy playing Renly just didn't fit the look or personality I had come to expect. Some of that is writing though.

Addy did well with his material, and I couldn't complain at all with his portrayal in that sense. He just didn't look the part is all. He was shorter than Sean Bean!!!! To me it was the same problem Jack Reacher fans had with Tom Cruise in the role. He acted it just fine, but his look just wasn't there (lol @ tom Cruise playing a 6' 5" guy).

I totally agree on the Baratheons. I know that Robert gained a ton of weight in the books, but before that he was a herculean warrior, I just couldn't summon an image of a buff Addy kicking ass with an axe. For whatever reason I always pictured Renly as a Tom Cruise type, and I pictured Stannis played by Mark Strong--I pictured him as Stannis right away when I read the books. I think Natalie Dormer was so awesome in The Tudors that the producers simply had to have her associated in some way with GOT, but I'd have sooner seen her cast as Dany or Sansa; but if we can only have her as Margery, so be it. I think Dance is great, Coster-Waldau is great, Roose and Walder Frey, awesome. Sean Bean, perfect. I always pictured the Hound as the guy who played the bad guy in The Crow movie with Brandon Lee but I can't remember his name, but the current guy is okay. The Mountain doesn't look anything like I pictured him in the books, not by either guy who's played him. Lena Heady is great (but I think she's way hotter as a brunette, chuckle). Ramsay is good but he is a little on the 'wholesome' pretty side. If they were going for 'cruel' pretty I'd have gone with Cillian Murphy. Theon is great, though, imo.

[ManceSnow]

Best: Jaime, Tywin, Roose, Ned, Sandor, Tyrion, Bronn, Ramsay, Drogo

Worst: Mance, Bran, Hodor, Dany, Xaro

Also this isnt a fault with the casting really, but Arya and Sansa were so good in S1, and now they just look to old :(

[tormund's beard]

Best casting is hard because so many of them are superb. Worst is obvious, s2 Mountain, but that's kind of a moot point. I think most REGRETTED miscasting is Mance. Hinds just brings nothing special to the role. Dominic West made a huge mistake turning down that part, he could have OWNED it. We need more actors from The Wire on this show.

yeah mance taking a piss on the tracks.

[kingkiller]

i feel like robb in the book is a bit of a dolt, and has absolutely none of the fire that richard madden gave to the role. if you go back and watch some of his scenes all of them are awesome. maybe i'm feeling sentimental since we just lost him but i feel like the show will miss him a lot.

and do we even have to discuss how amazing NCW and gwendoline are? i feel like theyve been bickering at each other off screen for years. that relationship is vital to the story, and they both nailed it.

really though the entire cast is amazing.