The Surprising Actor Who Refused To Play Roslin Frey On Game Of Thrones
Regardless of how the show ended, "Game of Thrones" was a juggernaut in the entertainment industry. What was already one of the most successful fantasy series of all time in the literary sphere became a worldwide phenomenon after it premiered on HBO. The show quickly established itself as one of the most recognizable in television history, and securing a role in the series was a significant step in the career of many a cast member.
On the flip side, multiple actors turned down roles in "Game of Thrones" due to scheduling conflicts or other personal reasons. Notably, "Tudors" actress Tamzin Merchant walked away from the part of Daenerys Targaryen after filming an original pilot that was allegedly so bad, The Telegraph reports, HBO almost canned the entire series. Even "Stranger Things" star Jamie Campbell Bower had a part in the pilot but had to step away because scheduling conflicts kept him out of the reshoots.
Some actors, like Bower, were able to move on to other massive franchises instead, but you can't help but wonder how things would have turned out for other performers who passed up "Game of Thrones."
Perdita Weeks' unfortunate decision
Perdita Weeks is another notable actress who missed a ship to Westeros. The "Magnum P.I." star was no newcomer to medieval period dramas, having starred in "The Tudors" and "Lost in Austen" (via IMDb). After the British actress signed on for "Game of Thrones," however, she had to drop out because of scheduling conflicts.
Weeks' situation was much more unfortunate than some other actors who missed out on the series: She opted out of "Game of Thrones" to play a role in a show called "The Heretics," which never saw a day of filming. The series planned to begin filming in Romania, but the Romanian Embassy shut down production in the eleventh hour. In a 2012 interview with The Daily Mail, Weeks said, "I gave up a role on Game of Thrones to take the part and even rang the producers to beg for it back once I'd heard the news about Romania, but it was too late." So what was the role for which she had to plead for a second chance?
Weeks missed out on a bloody ceremony
Weeks turned down the role of Roslin Frey, one of Ser Walder Frey's many daughters. Roslin may not jog the brains of "Game of Thrones" fans, but she marries Edmure Tully at the Red Wedding — making the role, if indirectly, a pretty important one. The part eventually went to Alexandra Dowling, but the character seems to disappear from the final seasons even after her husband Edmure returns. Critics and fans widely disliked the show's ending, and one of the reasons for that is that the showrunners completely disregarded more minor characters — like Roslin Frey.
Not only did Perdita Weeks' decision save her from the criticism of the show's finale, but it could also have saved her from a grueling day on set. Walder Frey actor David Bradley spoke to The Sun and revealed that shooting the Red Wedding was quite the task. For one thing, Bradley's character welcomes everyone to the ceremony, and this speech took the actor a few more takes than usual to perfect. He recalled, "All I had to do was remember a four-page speech, which I had to do 70 times in one day, introducing everyone and welcoming everyone with bread and salt." Seventy takes later, Bradley could sit back and watch as the rest of the cast and crew filmed the infamous massacre — an undertaking that Weeks, for better or for worse, got to sit out.