It’s no secret that at this point, “Game of Thrones” has undergone some major casting changes. after filming its original pilot condemned and not broadcast; Tamsin Merchant was replaced by Emilia Clarke as Dragon Princess Daenerys Targaryen, and Michelle Fairley took over from Catelyn Stark after Jennifer Ehle left the project, to name a few examples. Still, I bet you didn’t know that Iwan Rheon, who ended up playing Ramsay Bolton in the award-winning HBO series, auditioned for two other roles…and almost landed the lead role of Jon Snow, which ultimately went to Kit Harington.
Like Rheon said Interview magazine in April 2016, he did what he described as a “general audition”, but also clarified that he had read for Viserys Targaryen, the role of Daenerys’ brother – which ultimately went to Harry Lloyd. The creators of the series then asked him to read for the role of Jon Snow, the assumed bastard of House Stark. “At the time, I didn’t know much about it,” Rheon recalls. “So I auditioned for Jon Snow, but probably a lot of other people did too.”
After saying that he thought it was between him and Harington (and, because Jon was “dead” at that point, he was laughing about the fact that he would have died anyway), Rheon continued. “I think they made the right choice; Jon Snow would have been very different if I had played him. I don’t think there’s much point in dwelling on that sort of thing,” he mused. “You’re inevitably going to know other actors who are applying for roles, and you have to be open about that. Most of the time, it’s a specific thing they’re looking for, which could easily depend on your appearance, and there’s not much you can do about that.”
Iwan Rheon went on to play Ramsay Bolton, but he first read for another role on Game of Thrones
As every “Game of Thrones” fan knows, Iwan Rheon found himself on the show as the deeply sadistic Ramsay Bolton, another of the show’s famous bastards who is ultimately accepted by his lawful father, Roose Bolton (Michael McElhatton), and named his heir. Still, to say that Rheon’s journey to playing Ramsay was easy wouldn’t be true. As he told Interview, the show’s producers said they “remembered him” when he returned to read for Ramsay, but he still had his doubts:
“Not really. I thought they had completely forgotten about me. I actually auditioned for Ramsay. I was working on a film in Spain and had to send in a tape. I’m not sure what the initial reaction was. Luckily I was back in London for a week in the middle of filming, and the guys were there so I could go and meet them for an audition. Even then I was going to play two roles, Daario Naharis was the other one, I think.”
Daario Naharis, a warrior who pledges loyalty and love to Daenerys, ended up being played by two people (Ed Skrein, who left “Game of Thrones” after one season and entrusted the role to Michiel Huisman), while Rheon Finally booked a huge role on the show after trying for, apparently, several years. It’s really hard to imagine Rheon, who was perfect as the surly and cruel Ramsay, playing the often naive and generally wholesome Jon Snow, so I think it’s safe to say that he and Kit Harington found themselves in the right roles, especially when it came to their characters’ big showdown in Season 6.
Kit Harington and Iwan Rheon found themselves in exactly the right roles in Game of Thrones
In Season 6’s flagship episode titled “Battle of the Bastards,” Jon Snow and Ramsay Bolton have a huge showdown – so what’s the context, in case you forgot? Well, by the time Season 6 rolls around on “Game of Thrones,” Jon is alive again (thanks to the Red Priestess Melisandre, played by Carice van Houten) and searching for the girl he believes to be his half-sister but is actually his niece, Sansa Stark, played by Sophie Turner. (Jon is not a bastard at all but the legitimate son of Daenerys’ defeated brother, Rhaegar.unbeknownst to everyone at this point – including him.) As Jon returns to the world of the living, Sansa – who, alongside Alfie Allen’s Theon Greyjoy, is Ramsay’s captive – returns to his side, and the two prepare to retake their home of Winterfell from Ramsay, who holds the castle with his forces.
The Battle of the Bastards is one of the most gruesome and incredible battle scenes from “Game of Thrones”, especially when you consider that it begins with Ramsay shooting Sansa’s youngest brother Rickon (Art Parkinson) in the back with an arrow. Fortunately, Jon and Sansa’s forces narrowly prevail, and although Jon deals the final blows against Ramsay, it is Sansa who delivers the final blow by allowing Ramsay’s hungry dogs to eat him. Iwan Rheon is genuinely and astonishingly great as Ramsay – even if you hate Ramsay – and it’s almost impossible to imagine anyone other than Kit Harington as Jon Snow. As for “Game of Thrones” as a whole, you can stream it on HBO Max and watch both performances.
