Tamzin Merchant reveals why she wanted to 'back out' of playing Daenerys Targaryen in 'Game of Thrones'
- Actress Tamzin Merchant was originally cast as Daenerys in "Game of Thrones."
- But after the first, disastrous pilot was filmed, she was replaced with Emilia Clarke.
- In a new interview, Merchant says that "Game of Thrones" was a story she wasn't excited to tell.
The original "Game of Thrones" pilot has never been seen by the public and to this day fans still have many questions about what went wrong with HBO's first attempt. Among those mysteries was the reason why Tamzin Merchant was replaced with Emilia Clarke for the now-iconic role of Daenerys Targaryen.
After a decade of silence on the matter, Merchant has revealed a piece of the puzzle in a new interview with Entertainment Weekly's James Hibberd.
"I didn't have any training as an actor. I only have my instincts," Merchant said. "And what excites me and what drives me is a compelling story and a compelling character. So for me, 'Game of Thrones' was never that."
Read more: How 'Game of Thrones' nearly ended before it began thanks to a disastrous pilot
Though Merchant doesn't specify whether she was ultimately the one who asked to be removed from the show, or if that was a decision from HBO's creative team, the actress says she did try to "back out" of the contract before she filmed any scenes.
"I tried to back out of that situation and, during the contract process, I did back out," Merchant said. "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."
The "excited" horse she's referring to was the steed Daenerys is gifted by her husband, Khal Drogo, on their wedding night. As revealed in Hibberd's oral history of "Game of Thrones," the horse had a visible erection during the filming of the pivotal sexual assault scene.
Merchant expressed no regrets over her departure from the role, even given how popular the show became in its eight-year run.
Merchant isn't the only person who left "Game of Thrones" before the pilot was refilmed and made into the episode fans have now come to know and love. For the first version of the pilot, Benioff and Weiss had hired director Tom McCarthy.
McCarthy said he had "very little" impact on the look and feel of the pilot, and by the time Benioff and Weiss realized they needed to reshoot the bulk of it, McCarthy was busy with another project and unable to return for another run.
Read more: BEFORE AND AFTER: See 9 'Game of Thrones' characters that were recast
Timothy Van Patten took over for reshoots of the pilot and also directed the second episode of the debut season.
Then actress Michelle Fairley was recast into the role of Catelyn Stark. She took over for Jennifer Ehle, who had decided to leave the project after reconsidering the lengthy time commitment.
You can read Merchant's full interview with EW here. To learn more about everything we know that changed from the original pilot script to the final version, you can read a book excerpt of "The Unofficial Guide to Game of Thrones" here.
- Read more:
- 36 must-watch movies and TV shows that star ex-'Game of Thrones' actors
- A timeline of HBO's 'Game of Thrones' prequel plans, and which spinoffs you can actually expect to see
- 31 questions the 'Game of Thrones' series finale left unanswered
- Emilia Clarke was asked to rewrite an entire 'Game of Thrones' scene in Valyrian, and she pulled it off in 10 minutes