8 Actors Who Turned Down Game Of Thrones
2. Dominic West (Probably Mance Rayder)
Dominic West is no stranger to starring in great HBO dramas, having led The Wire for five seasons as Detective McNulty, so it's understandable he'd be approached for a role in Game of Thrones too.
West hasn't explicitly revealed what role he was offered, but he did tell Huffington Post back in 2012 that: "I was offered something on 'Game of Thrones' and unfortunately, I hadn't seen it, but my nephew and his father said, 'Gosh, "Game of Thrones" is the only great show on!' And I felt terrible, because I'd just turned them down."
The actor also added that, although he couldn't remember the name of the character, it was a significant part with a statue similar to Ned Stark, and that it'd involve being "in Reykjavik for six months."
That last part is crucial, because Iceland is where they shoot scenes beyond the Wall, and the major uncast part at that time was Mance Rayder. A self-styled king, he was both significant and a figure of real stature, so that's almost certainly who West was talking about. The role eventually went to Ciaran Hinds, who was great, and it's likely West would've brought a very different flavour to things.