Why Game of Thrones Author George RR Martin Regrets Some of His Casting Choices

When George R. R. Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire” book series was turned into HBO’s “Game of Thrones,” it became a pop culture phenomenon. The mostly unknown cast became global superstars, with some even reaching household name status. However, according to Martin, he now has some regrets about his casting choices.

George R. R. Martin Admits He Regrets Hiring Unknown Actors

During an Oxford Writers’ House event, Martin explained why having a cast full of mostly unknowns on “Game of Thrones” resulted in unexpected consequences. Fans may recall that back in the early days when the show first hit HBO, the press and promotion focused on Martin instead of the actors or the storytelling. Because no one in the cast had any star power, the mega channel relied on the author for publicity.

“I probably did make a mistake when we got ‘Game of Thrones’ going as a TV show. We were using a lot of unknown actors, so they did a lot of publicity with me. That really got my face out there, which wasn’t necessarily the greatest thing in the world,” Martin explained.

The Real Reason Martin Released ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ Before It Was Complete

Martin says he never wanted to be a celebrity and had no desire to be in the public eye. But this isn’t his only regret when it comes to the world of “Game of Thrones.” The author now says he should have written the entire “A Song of Ice and Fire” series before publishing anything. This would have allowed him to make necessary changes to early plotlines, get rid of inconsistencies, and tighten up the story. The reason he published as he went was that he needed the money.

“I had no other salary. I lived entirely on the money that my stories and books earned. I couldn’t take six years off with no income. I would have wound up homeless or something,” Martin shared.

The One Thing That George R. R. Martin Doesn’t Regret

With all of his “Game of Thrones” regrets piling up, Martin confessed there is one bright spot in the saga — the hiring of Peter Dinklage for the role of Tyrion Lannister. The author says that he didn’t even consider anyone else because he wanted Dinklage. Instead of making him audition, Martin’s team simply offered him the part. 

“For Tyrion, Peter Dinklage, you know, that was the one role where we didn’t audition anybody. We didn’t read anybody. There are no tapes of other people reading Tyrion’s roles that will ever surface anywhere because we made no auditions,” Martin said.

“We just said, ‘We got to get Peter Dinklage’, and we went out and made an offer to Peter Dinklage, and we persuaded him to take the role, and that’s worked out well.”

“Game of Thrones” is streaming on HBO Max.