Tamzin Merchant breaks silence on filming scrapped Game of Thrones pilot

The road to success is covered with obstacles that often seem insurmountable. A project as big as Game of Thrones had its fair share of problems. The fantasy series was about to be cancelled in the first episode itself. The cast and crew of the show had previously opened up about the scrapped ordeal. Finally, Tamzin Merchant, the actress who originally played Daenerys in the dropped episode, opened up to Entertainment Weekly in an interview.

Tamzin lost the role to Emilia Clarke when the pilot was re-filmed. Although, she doesn’t seem to be sad about it. She said, “Shooting that pilot was a really great lesson. It was an affirmation about listening to my instincts and following them. I tried to back out of that situation and, during the contract process, I did back out. I was talked back into it by some persuasive people. Then I found myself naked and afraid in Morocco and riding a horse that was clearly much more excited to be there than I was.”

She continued, “It was a lesson that if my guts are telling me a story isn’t something I’m excited to tell, then I shouldn’t try to be excited just because other people are telling me that I should be excited. I didn’t have any training as an actor, I only have my instincts. What excites and drives me is a compelling story and a compelling character. So for me, Game of Thrones was never that.”

“I think it’s a testament to Emilia Clarke for making that role iconic — she was obviously excited to tell that story, and she was epic and excellent. But for me, it wasn’t in my heart to tell it.”

Would you have liked to see Tamzin as Daenerys? Tell us in the comments below!

Game of Thrones prequel House of The Dragon has already caused a huge stir amongst the fans. HBO is leaving no stones unturned to win back their audience post Game of Thrones era. They have already cast some of the key characters for the series. The first to join the show was Paddy Considine as King Viserys. Soon after, more important characters were confirmed, and the casting was revealed. Olivia Cooke, Emma D’Arcy and Matt Smith are set to play Alicent Hightower, Rhaenyra Targaryen and Daemon Targaryen respectively.

Recently, Good Morning America talked to Olivia Cooke in an online interview. They couldn’t resist asking her about House of The Dragon (spoiler-free). On being asked how the audition process was, she replied :

“Oh, it was just extensive. Um… I don’t know how many auditions I did, I did loads. I was put on hold for six weeks and sworn to secrecy. Then I found out I had it… And then sworn to more secrecy before the press release came out.”

“So I had best friends of mine being like – “What? Why didn’t you tell us?” I was so scared that someone was going to come and abduct me and make me disappear (laughs).”

GMA also asked if she was a fan of Game of Thrones before. The actress answered:

“When I was 20 I’d seen the first season, then I was on a job and had loads of downtime. And then didn’t pick it back up and then didn’t want to do it before auditioning just in case I got too invested in them and didn’t get the job. But now I’ve since seen every episode and just obsessed.”

Are you excited about the prequel series? Tell us in the comments below!

Game of Thrones showcased some of the finest warriors in fantastical television history. Out of all the warriors on the show, Ser Gregor Clegane (The Mountain) was the most feared of all. How did they make the character so fierce? The Mountain was played by the world’s strongest man Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson himself!

Björnsson has vowed to destroy long-time rival Eddie Hall at the World’s Heaviest Boxing match. Eddie Hall, however, is taking no s**t from the Game of Thrones actor. Both of them have been training really hard for the fight. Taunting your opponent before a bout is an effective strategy to get a hold of them mentally.

Thor is very confident of his victory against Hall. He told Metro that he is going to knock Hall twice. The strongman also wants to fight Tyson Fury after his bout is over.

Björnsson said, “There’s probably going to be a rematch against Eddie Hall, so I’ll be in the sport for probably the next two years. After the rematch, we’ll see how I feel, how much I have improved. I’m not getting any younger – I’m 32 years old so I need to improve very fast if I see myself competing more.”

He added, “If the right opportunity came along…Let’s say in the Eddie fight…obviously my plan is to knock him out. When I do anything I always look at the top and the top right now is Tyson Fury obviously, but we’ll see in two years’ time who is on top then.”

Who do you think is going to win the World’s Heaviest Boxing match? Tell us in the comments below!

Finding a soulmate is one of the best things that can ever happen to someone. Especially in a world full of tragedies and problems we’re currently facing. Everyone needs that somebody who helps them find a connection to this world. Game of Thrones’ Maisie Williams is living the time of her life with her boyfriend Reuben Selby. They recently talked to Tatler about gender norms and labels.

“Reuben doesn’t really see clothing as having any specific gender,” she explained. “It’s just an image.”

“I’ve always felt fluid, but I don’t think it would be right for me to label it like that because it’s a difficult conversation,” Reuben said. “I don’t really have any boundaries.” She also reflected at her time on Game of Thrones.

“I miss the people, absolutely,” Maisie said. “It was such a great connection that we all had. We were on the most successful show of all time, but when you’re in it, you don’t get to do anything else but be on the show.”

Maisie is currently set to play a model, superfan and punk icon Jordan in Steve Jones’ biopic. The 6-episode-series begins production on March 7.

What are your thoughts about gender fluidity? Talk to us in the comments below!