8 Actors Who Turned Down Game Of Thrones

3. Brian Cox (Unknown)

Brian Cox is another actor of the ilk who would fit perfectly into Game of Thrones. The Scot has had a mighty career, ranging from Shakespearean plays to comic book movies and everything in between. It's not much of a surprise, then, that he was offered a role back in the early days of the show. He now admits he's a complete addict, so why did he say no?

“Stupidly, I turned it down in the early days because they didn’t pay enough money,” he told Vodzilla back in 2016. “Now they have more money. And I was silly. I was silly, it was silly, because I’m a complete addict now. But I don’t know what I could play.”

Very silly indeed. There are plenty of options for who Cox could've played. Assuming this was Season 1, then Jeor Mormont comes to mind as the kind of role he'd have been great for. He'd also have made for a good Tywin Lannister, although it's hard to complain about Charles Dance taking on the role, while others have suggested he might've been in the running for Robert Baratheon. No doubt he'd do a good job, but might also have been a little too old.

Cox has watched a number of his actor friends appear on the show - of Ian McShane, he said "I thought, ‘Ian did that?’ and immediately I thought, ‘God, they must have paid him well’, because I know Ian." - and commented on how incredible action scenes like Battle of the Bastards are, finishing up by saying "I’m still waiting for the call for Game of Thrones and if they’ve got more decent money, I’ll be there!”

Sadly it's now too late for the main show, but maybe the prequel can find room for him?