Truth behind 'The Witcher's casting: Ian Beattie once revealed how 'Game of Throne' stars were banned from auditioning for HBO hit
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Back in 2019, when the fantasy drama Netflix series ‘The Witcher’ broke records with its release, there were certain rumors surrounding its audition procedure. One of them was that the actors from the other popular fantasy series ‘Game of Thrones’ were not allowed to audition for the show.
Since then, fans of both dramas have wondered whether this rule was actually ever implied or not. With the new season of ‘The Witcher’ confirming an alum from the legendary series, these rumors are only getting questioned further.
How did the rumor spark?
The rumor first came up in fandom and entertainment world conversations after the MCM Comic-Con that happened in Birmingham back in 2019. Ian Beattie, who played Ser Meryn Trant, while speaking to the press disclosed the fact that there was a show that denied him an audition because the actor was a part of the 'GOT' series.
Beattie obviously did not disclose the name of the show but he did mention that the show had a similar setting and genre. He also mentioned that the show was based on a video game and that it was set to be streamed on either Amazon or Netflix. It was not hard for everyone to put two and two together and figure out that it was ‘The Witcher’ the Northern Ireland actor was referring to.
Beattie also went on to mention that this show was not the only one that held this rule against actors from 'GOT'. But there were many others who placed the “No ‘Game of Thrones’ actors” rule in their casting call.
Why are 'GOT' actors not allowed to audition?
This is not the first time that actors associated with popular media have struggled to find other roles. Beattie himself commented on how the identity of the show has affected his image as an actor permanently. Once a celebrity becomes a part of such a franchise, it is hard to separate oneself from the direct association with it.
Has the rule changed?
This would also erase any possibilities of ‘The Witcher’ getting directly compared to ‘Game of Thrones’ because of their similarities beyond the same genre. Regardless, it seems like this is no longer an issue and the rule was not as strict after all as the show added multiple actors from the HBO epic series in the coming years after the Beattie incident. Some of the stars cast in 'The Witcher' were Kristofer Hivju, Charles Dance, and Jodhi May.