Casting Season 5: Areo Hotah

Next in our series of season 5 casting speculation posts is a character that many had thought might actually be cut from Game of Thrones: Areo Hotah.

Introduced in A Feast for Crows as a POV character, Areo Hotah is the long-time captain of Doran Martell’s personal guards. Originally from the Free City of Norvos, he arrived in Dorne many years ago, accompanying Doran’s wife Mellario. A member of a militant order, the stoic Hotah is dedicated to service and deadly with a longaxe. Areo is loyal to the Martell clan and has affection for the princess Arianne, having watched all the royal children grow up.

He is described in the book as a broad-shouldered man with white hair that was previously dark, with a body that bears scars from many battles.

Now that Hotah’s presence in season five has been unofficially confirmed by a leaked casting call, we’re free to play the casting game with the captain. It seems that Areo will be appearing throughout the season in an expanded role, helping Prince Doran with his duties as well as being his bodyguard. The show is apparently looking for a black actor to play the part, as well.

Here are some of the current fan favorites and interesting possibilities for the role of Areo Hotah:

Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje – The British actor, a popular fan favorite for the role, is best known to TV viewers as Adebisi on HBO’s Oz and Mr. Eko on Lost.  Akinnuoye-Agbaje has established a steady career for himself with supporting roles in films like Pompeii, GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra, The Thing, and Thor: The Dark World. He would certainly be an impressive Areo Hotah, with his intensity and strength of presence. However, he’ll be co-starring in this fall’s new drama Odyssey (the pilot just picked up this month by NBC) so he may not be available for Game of Thrones.

Christopher Judge – Judge is remembered most by audiences for his long-running role as Teal’c on the series Stargate SG1. Before his big break with the scifi show, Judge’s resume mostly consisted of supporting and guest parts in TV shows and movies. Since Stargate, the former football player has done a lot of voiceover work, smaller films and direct-to-DVD fare like Mega Shark vs. Mecha Shark. Game of Thrones rarely casts Americans, usually only when they are needing a specific type, but if they open up their doors to an American, Judge would be a good fit for the captain of the guards.

Peter Mensah – The Spartacus actor is another fan favorite for the part, and has the stuntwork and martial arts experience to pull off Areo Hotah’s intimidating physicality. He’s turned in appearances in hits like Avatar and 300, and its sequel, and on shows like Burn Notice, Star Trek: Enterprise and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Another point in his favor is that Mensah had a recurring role on the fifth season of True Blood as the Vampire Authority chancellor Kibwe, so he’s already worked with HBO. Maybe they should give him another call?

Hakeem Kae-Kazim – Until recently, Kae-Kazim was best known for playing Georges Rutaganda in the movie Hotel Rwanda, and for his recurring role as Colonel Dubaku on season 7 of 24. These days, he’s making a name for himself as Mr. Scott on the Starz pirate series, Black Sails. His other notable film credits include Man on Ground, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, and X-Men Origins: Wolverine. With the second season of Black Sails already in the can, that commitment shouldn’t be an issue, but he may be busy with other projects. If not, he would be a strong Hotah.

Colin Salmon – Salmon made his TV debut in Prime Suspect with Helen Mirren and has excelled at playing lawman and military types ever since. The British actor played Charles Robinson in three of the Pierce Brosnan-era Bond films, and has appeared in a host of TV shows, including the current season of 24: Live Another Day, the BBC Three sitcom Some Girls, and VH1’s Single Ladies. He’s also got a recurring gig as Walter Steele on CW’s Arrow. An intelligent performer like Salmon could do a lot to make the role interesting if given the opportunity.

Ours is the Fury: What do people think of these choices? Do you have any favorites or fantasy picks of your own? Sound off in the comments below.

• Published on 05/28/2014 at 5:00 PM CDT
• Last updated on 10/21/2016 at 12:41 PM CDT