Game of Thrones actors blocked from auditioning for Netflix show: Report

According to Game of Thrones actor Ian Beattie, some networks, possibly Netflix and Amazon, do not let Game of Thrones actors audition for roles in similar shows.

A recent article by Digital Spy has shed light on how shows that are similar to Game of Thrones, probably in the sense of being a high fantasy action show, are looking to distance themselves from the series by not hiring the actors from the incredibly popular HBO series.

The article by Digital Spy notes that Ian Beattie, famous for his role of Meryn Trant in Game of Thrones, was looking at auditions for another “unnamed show…based on a video game…either for Amazon or Netflix” that listed itself not wanting any Game of Thrones actors.

The show he seems to have been talking about appears to be Netflix’s The Witcher, which will star Henry Cavill as the lead.

Nonetheless, it appears other shows are doing one of two things: they are either trying to help actors avoid being typecast in the genre, or they want to distance themselves from Game of Thrones for fear of being compared to the show too much.

The typecasting theory seems too generous to be true, but the second theory feels a lot more likely. Something similar has happened because of Sean Bean portraying Ned Stark. Bean is also noted as playing Boromir in Lord of the Rings, which immediately drew a comparison between the Lord of the Rings films and books and the Game of Thrones show and books.

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Though showrunners may think they are doing something smart by not having characters from the incredibly popular series show up in similar ones, it can also be seen as them not having enough confidence in their own shows.

I, personally, would love to see Bean, Kit Harington, Maisie Williams, Natalie Dormer, or any of the rest of the cast for that matter, show up in a new series that may offer some similarities to Game of Thrones.

The entire cast of Game of Thrones has proven they are incredibly talented. The show has done a lot of good for the actors and the fantasy genre in general. It allowed the genre to really showcase that you can have an impactful story and still have some magic and dragons involved.

Game of Thrones also opened the door big time for stars recognizing the power of TV. In the past, TV used to be secondary to movies, but that seems to have shifted recently, especially with the success and exposure of Game of Thrones.

More and more bigtime directors are taking the plunge back into TV series as opposed to doing the opposite of going from TV to the big screen. An example would be Mike Flanagan going from his successful horror directing in films to his success as a horror director for the series The Haunting of Hill House for Netflix.

I really hope this trend ends once the Game of Thrones show finishes because there is a lot of talent to snatch up from the series!