Casting Season Two: Stannis
Disclaimer: Season two has not been officially greenlit. We are creating these posts for discussion and speculation.
With that out of the way, let’s move onto business shall we? Namely the business of casting Stannis Baratheon. Stannis, younger brother of King Robert, is described as a hard man. But fair when it comes to the matter of the law. And it’s precisely this fairness that gets him involved in the politics of Westeros. This will be a major role so I think we can expect an actor that we are familiar with. Let’s take a look at some of the candidates.
Mark Strong – A London-born actor, Strong has been a popular Stannis candidate for awhile. He certainly has the strong jaw and steely gaze you would associate with Stannis. And he looks intimidating bald, which is important. He’s actually a year older than Addy, but can certainly pass as younger. The problem? After toiling in relative obscurity for the majority of his career, he has recently hit it big with prominent roles in Hollywood blockbusters such as Sherlock Holmes, Robin Hood and the upcoming Green Lantern. At this point, returning to TV might be a step back for his career.
Richard Armitage – A British-born actor with a litany of TV credits to his name, Armitage has been a popular fan suggestion for a number of roles in Thrones, including the Hound and Bronn. Now the fans are looking at him as a potential Stannis, despite some thinking he is too young and good-looking. A year ago, taking a role in an HBO drama would have been a good career move for him. But since then, he has been cast in the new Captain America film and the upcoming duology of The Hobbit. The latter of which will keep him busy for much of this year and next. Which probably rules him out as a possible Stannis.
Christopher Eccleston – Eccleston is a British character actor who is most well known for his stint as the Doctor in the long-running BBC series Doctor Who. American audiences may be more familiar with him from his roles in films such as Elizabeth, G.I. Joe, or Heroes. I think Eccleston is a good fit for the role both physically and talent-wise. And he has the right level of name recognition. The problem is, would he do it? He is notorious for not wanting to lock himself into any long-term commitments. He famously quit Doctor Who after only one season. Would he buck that trend to take a major role in Thrones?
Rufus Sewell – Another longtime British character actor, Sewell has a long list of credits that includes film and television work. He’s appeared in films such as A Knight’s Tale and Tristan+Isolde and TV shows such as John Adams and The Pillars of the Earth. Period pieces are kind of his thing. He’s well-known enough that I can see him landing the role, but not so huge a name as to rule him out. Looks-wise he seems like a good fit and age-wise he is three years younger than Addy, which is perfect. All these factors seem to add up to a very good candidate for Stannis Baratheon.
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