The Mother of Dragons
What to do with Daenerys Targaryen is going to be one of the challenges that Benioff and Weiss must overcome for this series to be a success. Not only in how they will handle her storyline as it pertains to the main narrative but also in terms of casting. They have already stated they will be aging up the younger characters, so I’m sure we won’t be getting a 13 year old Dany. Even so, finding a young actress capable of playing this role, and playing it well, will be difficult.
Teresa Palmer – An Australian-born actress, Palmer was recently named one of Australia’s “30 Stars of Tomorrow.” Her first major film role was in the horror film, The Grudge 2. She also stars in the upcoming film Bedtime Stories. She seems to have the right look for Dany. She also is not averse to nudity (which is something that will most likely be required for whomever takes the part). She might be a good choice, but it is hard to know her acting talent with so little to go on.
Isabel Lucas – Another actress from Australia, Lucas has even less acting credits than her fellow Aussie Palmer. She did however land a role in the upcoming Transformers sequel. Despite being older than Palmer by about a year, I think she looks younger. It is unknown if she is willing to do nudity, as she has never done it before. Her lack of experience may work against her, but I think that they will need to cast a relatively unknown, inexperienced actress for the role anyway.
Kerry Condon – One of the few UK-based actresses being talked about for the role of Dany, which helps her chances of getting the role. She also has worked with HBO before, starring as Octavia of the Julii in Rome. We know based on her work there that she definitely does not have a problem with baring it all. She is however older than the other actresses on this list, and despite them aging Dany up a few years, I’m not sure she could believably pass as a 15-16 year old.
Emily Browning – Another Australian actress (apparently there is a dearth of good, young, pretty UK actresses), Browning is most well-known for her role in Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events. She is the youngest on this list, which means she won’t be in her thirties trying to play a 17 year old a few years down the line if the series is a success. She is an interesting choice for Dany, as she has a unique and somewhat exotic beauty. For me, she most matches what I think Dany should look like.
This was a tough role to find good candidates for. It is going to be hard to find a good, young actress that is willing to do nudity, young enough to pass for 15-16 when the series starts, and also willing to only be in a few scenes the first season or two but be available for a much bigger role if the series continues. As important as finding a good Tyrion or Jon or Arya is, Dany may be the biggest casting challenge of them all.
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