The Hound
With David Benioff addressing the casting of Sandor, I figured it is time to do a casting post on The Hound. Sandor, despite not (as of yet) having his own POV chapters, is still a very complex and well-developed character. One could make the argument that he is the most developed non-POV character in the series. So getting a quality actor here is key. Another challenge for the future casting director is finding a good actor of Sandor’s size. Though not quite as big as his brother, he is described as quite tall and muscular. Here is a short list of popular candidates (Benioff excluded).
Ray Stevenson – One of the most popular choices to play Sandor, Stevenson is an Irish actor most well-known for his role as Titus Pullo in HBO’s series Rome. He has also starred in King Arthur and the most recent Punisher movie. At 6’4′” he certainly has the size. He is, however, much older than Sandor is described as in the book (later 20s/early 30s). This certainly isn’t a deal-breaker as they could be flexible with the ages in the series if need be.
Richard Armitage – With credits primarily in television, Armitage would be the level of actor this series probably needs. His biggest role to date is Guy of Gisborne in BBC’s Robin Hood. Although not as tall or burly as Stevenson, he is however tall enough and he plays dark, brooding characters well. He is also a few years younger. The one major drawback is his current commitment to the Robin Hood series. Assuming that that series is picked up for a fourth season, he would probably be out of the running.
Callum Keith Rennie – An experienced character actor, with almost 100 credits to his name. Born in England and raised in Canada, Rennie has done mostly television work. His most recent, and probably most well known role is as Leoben Conoy in Battlestar Galactica. Rennie doesn’t have the physical presence that the others have, but he has experience on his side. With Battlestar Galactica coming to an end his schedule has been freed up, so he is a possibility however I think his age and physical appearance are working against him.
Kevin Durand – Another experienced character actor, Canadian actor Durand has a mix of television and film work. Most people would recognize him as Martin Keamy, the Marine sent to capture Ben in season four of Lost. He is also appearing as The Blob in the upcoming X-Men Origins: Wolverine. At 6’6″ he is the biggest actor on this list and will tower over most other cast members. With that kind of size he certainly fits the physical description of Sandor. His role in the David Benioff penned Wolverine film may also give him an inside track for the role.
The biggest question with The Hound is whether they attempt to stay more true to his physical description in the book in regards to size and age or if they fudge it a bit to get an actor that can do justice to the role. In my opinion you always want to go with acting ability first, especially for a role as deep as this one. Obviously the hope is to find someone that can embody both the physical and emotional aspects of The Hound, but that is easier said than done.
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