Game Of Thrones: 10 Actors Who Were Nearly Cast

Including a multi-million album selling singer, and that 'geezer' from Eastenders.

By Michael Potts /

Thrones has a habit of turning obscure actors into household names. Kit Harington, Emilia Clarke, and countless other major stars have been born off the back of the show's success. It means that whenever they appear in another production, they're instantly recognised as "Jon Snow", "Daenerys" or "that one who died in Game of Thrones". For many of the new wave of actors and actresses, this is already their peak. There's no shame in that, as the show is so immensely popular that few others will be able to top it, but imagine how their careers - and the show itself - would look now if numerous changes were made to the cast list. Peter Dinklage stated he was close to turning down his now iconic role as Tyrion Lannister, while the parts of Daenerys and Catelyn Stark were actually given to other actresses before Clarke and Michelle Fairley wrestled their way into the show. The source material is so strong that the show would've more than likely succeeded regardless of who was dropped into Westeros, but it does make you wonder how different the world would look if several characters were being played by entirely different people. Or if a worldwide singing sensation had joined her brother in the show...