10 TV Shows That RECAST Major Characters
6. Daenerys Targaryen - Game of Thrones
If you're thinking 'Wait, Emilia Clarke played Daenerys Targaryen from the very first episode of Game of Thrones... how was she a recast?' then you'd be right: She did play Dani from the very first episode of GoT and she did such a bloody brilliant job perfecting that character that the sheer notion of anyone else ever playing her is nothing short of ludicrious. Shockingly enough though, it almost happened.
Back when the pilot episode was shot in 2009, fellow English actress Tamzin Merchant (who would eventually go on to appear in Salem, Supergirl and Carnival Row) brought the future Mother of Dragons to life. Reportedly, however, HBO wasn't all that fussed on the pilot and ordered much of it to be reshot - recasting some of the major roles in the process.
Though we still aren't sure why, Merchant was replaced by Clarke and the rest, as they say, is history.