10 TV Characters They Couldn't Stop Recasting
2. The Mountain - Game Of Thrones
Gregor Clegane - aka The Mountain - is one of Game of Thrones' most memorable villainous characters, though it's easy to forget that he was ultimately played by three different actors across the show's eight seasons.
Initially, Australian actor Conan Stevens portrayed the hulking brute for two episodes in season one, yet scheduling conflicts reportedly made it impossible for him to return in season two, and so he was replaced with Welsh actor Ian Whyte.
Curiously, the Mountain is just one of several characters that Whyte played in the show, having also been a White Walker in the first two seasons, a giant in season three, another giant named Wun Wun in seasons five and six, and finally a giant wight in season eight.
Whyte played the Mountain for three episodes in season two, after which HBO finally settled on a permanent actor to play the part for the rest of the character's tenure.
Icelandic strongman Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson took on the role for 17 episodes across the remaining five seasons, and without question became the definitive iteration of the character.
It helped, of course, that the Mountain was given much more to do in the show's second half, most infamously popping Oberyn Martell's (Pablo Pascal) head like a grape in season four.
Björnsson's massive size and fierce look ensured the character finally lived up fully to his namesake.