Away from the Iron Throne, these actors defy expectations. Welcome to WatchMojo UK and
today we’ll be counting down our picks for the top 10 surprising roles by Game of Thrones
actors!
For this list, we’ve gathered a countdown of other acting roles held by the cast of
“Game of Thrones”, both before and after the HBO series hit our screens. We are focussing
on film and TV credits only though, so there is, unfortunately, no room for Jerome Flynn
(AKA Bronn) and “Unchained Melody” today.
With four seasons as the outrageously cruel King Joffrey under his acting belt, it’s
difficult to see Jack Gleeson as anything other than the beastly Baratheon – especially
as he retired from the public eye once Joffrey was no more. But before his reign in Westeros,
Gleeson rubbed shoulders with The Batman in Gotham City. A cameo role in “Batman Begins”,
when Gleeson was just a boy, sees the actor up way past his bedtime in a dangerous-looking
back alley with only the Bat for company. The transformation from cute kid to heartless
villain is really rather frightening.
As Cersei Lannister, Joffrey’s power-hungry and similarly sinister mum, Lena Headey plays
a master manipulator who’ll do whatever’s necessary to rule the Seven Kingdoms. But,
just over a decade before “Game of Thrones”, she’d starred in something quite different.
A Norwegian/British drama, “Aberdeen” sees Headey and Stellan Skarsgard (who plays
her estranged father) road trip to visit her dying mother, played by Charlotte Rampling.
Headey’s character, complete with a fine Scottish twang, is much less sure of herself
and struggles to deal with stretched family ties. Given that the Lannisters are uncomfortably
close-knit, Headey’s often-reckless independence as Kaisa gifts a grisly, drizzly glimpse at
the actor’s celebrated range.
From Lord of Winterfell to King of the North, we’re used to seeing Kit Harington wield
a sword. But next, the tennis racket is weapon of choice. Harington stars with Andy Samberg
for a HBO mockumentary taking aim at the Wimbledon tennis championships. As Charles Poole he
plays an archetypal posh-but-dumb guy, embroiled in the longest match in history against Aaron
Williams, the adopted brother of Venus and Serena and ‘bad boy’ on the circuit. In
this role, the Jon Snow actor really doesn’t seem to know a lot, for a contest which gives
new meaning to the ‘Battle of the Bastards’. Harrington also starred in “Silent Hill”,
but we love the lawn tennis look just that little bit more.
Throughout the Thrones series, Iain Glen is rarely seen without Daenerys Targaryen. True,
he’s exiled once or twice, but even then he stops at nothing to serve his Queen. But,
starring in 2001’s Tomb Raider adaptation as the relic-hoarding, double-crossing bad
guy Manfred Powell, his honour and loyalty goes out the proverbial window. Glen’s Powell
is intent on completing a mystical ‘Triangle of Light’ because (spoiler alert!) he’s
Illuminati and he wants to take over world. We know this from the movie’s early stages,
but Angelina Jolie’s none the wiser until toward its end. Ser Jorah, how could you be
so bad? The Mother of Dragons is one of the most commanding
characters across all of George R. R. Martin’s saga, but Emilia Clarke’s roles haven’t
always overflowed with authority. She plays Savannah Roundtree in the TV movie “Triassic
Attack”, which lumbered onto the Syfy channel in 2010. The film sees three dinosaur fossils
– none of which date to the Triassic age - magically brought to life to wreak havoc
in the neighbourhood. Clarke’s Savannah does her best to scream the skeletons into
submission, but the resurrected bones routinely win out. If you’d told us then that one
day Clarke would cosy up with three fire-breathing mythological beasts, we’d never have believed
you.
Just when we thought that GOT characters couldn’t get any nastier than Joffrey, Ramsay Bolton
enters the fray in season two and carefully builds his own brutal brand of cruelty. However,
while filming Thrones, actor Iwan Rheon was able to offset his outings as Theon’s worst
nightmare with another, altogether different role in the ITV sitcom, “Vicious”. A show
centred on an elderly gay couple and starring Ian McKellen, Rheon plays Ash Weston, a neighbourly
inhabitant of the flat upstairs. The contrast between characters is difficult to shake,
but it’s testament to Rheon that he convinces in both. Although in series two of “Vicious”
he does have a marriage proposal turned down… if only Sansa had that option!
Every so often high profile actors have a ‘What were they thinking?’ moment. “Tiptoes”
is one of those moments for most of its cast, including rogue Lannister Peter Dinklage.
The film sees Matthew McConaughey and Kate Beckinsale lament the possibility that their
unborn child might have dwarfism, before a series of unexpected plot twists (including
a questionable dwarf-role for Gary Oldman) are presented with mounting insensitivity.
For his part, Dinklage did garner some praise for his role as Maurice the motorcycle-riding
Marxist, but the actor has conceded that the movie itself failed to fight against ‘the
cutesiness of little people.’ You’ll also spot Tyrion L in “Elf”, but even that’s
not as ridiculous as this.
Known as ‘The Hound’ throughout “Game of Thrones”, Rory McCann seems a natural
fit for burly and imposing roles. It may come as some surprise to see him listed alongside
the likes of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost on the cast list for “Hot Fuzz”, but even
in an Edgar Wright comedy he carries an intimidating streak. McCann plays Michael Armstrong, AKA
‘Lurch’, a crony at the supermarket and enforcer for the not-so-well intentioned Neighbourhood
Watch Alliance. McCann’s physical appearance also drives the narrative for some other early
work, this time in TV ads. The Hound used to be the face of Scott’s Porridge Oats,
so now we know how he got so big and strong.
If you had Sean Bean typecast as the valiant hero who usually meets a tragic end, and let’s
face it a lot of us did, then today’s runner-up will smash that stereotype. Bean opened the
second season of BBC’s “Accused” in 2012 with “Tracie’s Story”, in which
he plays a transvestite caught up in a murder case. Just one year previously he’d ridden
through Winterfell as ill-fated Ned Stark, but this role proves he’s more than just
swords and armour. Bean was lauded for his portrayal of Tracie, an unassuming English
teacher turned extravagant cross-dresser. And when the story gets dark, that’s when
the actor shines with an emotion and intensity to rival any of his many battleground scenes.
Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
Depending on whose side you’re on, Tywin Lannister is one of the most respected, feared,
distinguished or despicable characters in all the Seven Kingdoms. He’s also the richest
man around, but how the mighty can fall. Place Charles Dance’s Thrones persona alongside
an early-2000s role as the villain in “Ali G Indahouse”, and the contrast is comedy
gold. Dance is well known for not taking himself too seriously, despite being one of the most
respected actors in the game, but he throws everyone off guard as David Carlton, a manipulative
politician with his eyes on Number 10. His fiendish plans fail though, and by the movie’s
end he’s shaking ass in a leopard-print boob-tube. What better way to finish?