Alright folks: House of the Dragon Season Two is well underway and I don’t care what TikTok says, I think it’s one of the strongest instalments in the Game of Thrones franchise yet. Dragons, battles, schemes, would-be kings and queens vying for the crown – Game of Thrones has just about everything a nerdy little actor like you (and me) could wish for. So, how the heck do we get cast on this roaring good time of a series? Polish your armour and sharpen your tongues, folks. It’s time to learn how to get cast in Game of Thrones and show them all why you belong on the iron throne.
Industry Checklist
If you want to step into Westeros, you need to have the industry side of your acting career taken care of. No matter how good an actor you are, no matter how well you might suit the material, you’ll have little luck climbing onto a dragon without the following things. Check your industry checklist is in top shape:
#1 Get an Agent
This one is especially important if you don’t live in Europe, specifically England–where House of the Dragon and likely any further Game of Thrones spin-offs will primarily shoot. An agent is the only way you’ll get word about casting calls for principal roles if you’re international. Background callouts are usually more public, and you can find those on sites like Backstage and Casting Networks. However, major projects won’t cast extras outside of the local area because it’s too expensive.
There’s an emerging case for moving overseas, here. It’s true that you’ll become a more appealing candidate to casting if you’re a local because, again, it’s cheaper. Getting cast in a principal role isn’t impossible if you’re overseas, but it will take a lot of work.
#2 Showreels, CVs and Headshots
Also known as your “Electronic Press Kit.” Make sure everything in it is up to date. Your showreel should reflect the best work you’re currently doing, and your CV will evolve and grow over time as you gather up credits doing short films, student films, television and feature films. Your headshots should be updated once a year, and ensure that they reflect how you currently look, so you don’t surprise a casting agent with a mop of hair or a missing beard.
When you are in between jobs (or finding yourself in a quiet period) these kinds of things are easily forgotten. Keep them well maintained so you’re ready for any opportunity that comes around – Game of Thrones or not.
#3 Build Your Online Presence
I know, I know. I hate social media, too. But if you’re serious about being in s blockbuster series, you need to infiltrate the mainstream and the best way to do that is through social media. Figure out your brand and start marketing yourself by regularly posting photos and videos that accentuate it. Share posts and engage in conversations online about the happenings in the industry. Follow fellow artists and keep yourself in the loop.
This is the modern way of networking and it pays dividends if you keep at it. And if you’ve ever heard horrific rumours that casting ties are broken by follower counts rather than callbacks … they’re sadly all too true in our industry these days.
#4 Know the Casting Director
Nina Gold cast the original Game of Thrones series and Kate Rhodes James cast the more recent House of the Dragon. When the next instalment comes around, ask your agent about the casting director and do a bit of research. What other projects have they worked on? Which actors have they worked with multiple times? This information will help you gauge what kind of aesthetic and style they’re looking for in the tape. Let’s talk about that now.
Acting Checklist
Let’s imagine you’ve got the coveted invite to put down a tape for a principal role in Game of Thrones. The first thing to know is that the audition process is a long and extensive process, according to Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke. Both actors auditioned over a number of months, putting down multiple tapes that demanded different hairstyles for each, and eventually they got to an hoursl-long, in-person audition. Both of them were put on hold for over a month and sworn to secrecy before they even knew if they had the role. So when you get the tape request: strap in for a long journey.
Aesthetic
When we talk about aesthetic, we’re not talking about the way you look, but rather your attitude or the way you hold yourself. And it changes, depending on the character you’re put up for. If you’re auditioning for a queen, the way you present yourself will be different to how you would if you were auditioning for a thief. The Game of Thrones aesthetic can be described as dark, medieval fantasy and is quite different from something like Lord of the Rings. Characters are dressed in garb similar to historical costume and the way they interact with each other is similar perhaps to how people living in feudal England would speak.
What will most likely have happened is you’ll be given a tape for a character that matches your personal aesthetic. If you’re getting a tape for Game of Thrones, you’ve likely worked enough to have developed a reputation for yourself as the Outlaw or the Ruler or the Hero or any number of archetypes.
Make sure you understand your own aesthetic and gather up as many clues as you can about the character’s aesthetic, too. If they’re a king or a queen: are they a scruffy, belligerent ruler or are they proud and put together? This will help you develop your character and give you a foundation to make some strong stylistic choices about how they move and speak in the world.
Style and Genre
Before auditioning for anything, make sure you know and understand the genre of the project. Genre influences the style of performance; if you audition for a horror film as if you’re in a romantic drama, it will likely miss the mark of what the director is looking for. As an actor, you should be watching and experiencing as much performance-based entertainment as you can: film and tv, theatre, video games. You’ll start to pick up on very clear stylistic choices the actors are making to suit the genre.
I’d classify Game of Thrones as fantasy-drama, which usually lends itself to slightly heightened performances. The characters often find themselves in high-stakes situations. It’s literally life or death a lot of the time, which means they must fight for their objective tooth and nail. The language is laconic and fantastical, invoking the names of old gods and tyrannical kings from ancient history. There’s a Shakespearean quality to it and if you can channel that in your Game of Thrones tape, I think you’ll be on the right track.
Some Help from Shakespeare
However, Game of Thrones has always been praised for its realistic, gritty quality. So while the stakes might be heightened, your choices still have to feel grounded and real. The same is true for Shakespeare: when you play a Shakespearean character, there’s a tendency for actors to overplay them. Loud, larger than life and overly-dramatic because the language feels good to proclaim from the rooftops.
Here’s a trick I picked up from the Arden Twelfth Night. It suggests you should always take a character-focused approach. What kind of person would use this language? What beliefs and personal context would someone have to have to grapple with death by saying “To be, or not to be” rather than “Should I keep living or just put an end it all?” Build your character around the language rather than imposing on it. I love this advice because it gives freedom to the actor whilst encouraging us never to judge our characters.
Have a look at these tapes and pay attention to what they’re saying and how they’re saying it.
See how grounded they are? That’s the style you’re going for in your tape.
Script Analysis
When you have a script in front of you talking about dragons and magic, don’t make it fantastical and dramatic. For your character, it’s as real as the hair on their head. Spend time with the script, pull it apart and parse it for meaning. Find what makes your character tick, and what they’ll do to get what they want. And even if you’re talking about things as silly as dragons and dungeons, you’ll convince that casting director.
Accent
The generic accent of Game of Thrones ranges from a North England to central London. The character brief will have the desired accent for the character, but might just ask for your natural accent as well. Whatever the case, I’d recommend listening to and practicing some accents now for the fun of it. Study up on the phonetic alphabet and learn how to apply it to learning a new accent too. This will help with creating something that sounds authentic rather than a mimicry.
Special Skills
Working in the fantasy genre often demands a unique set of skills, such as horse-riding or fencing. While you might not necessarily be cast in a role that requires them, you’ll be a more attractive option for the casting director if you have them under your belt.
The first one I’d recommend developing is stage combat. This is a great all-rounder skill to have because it applies to a lot of different genres and is a great tool for developing good motor skills and bodily awareness. Learn how to swing a sword and throw a punch that doesn’t do any damage. There will be a fight choreographer on set to put together fight scenes, but having a foundational understanding of the craft is going to put you streets ahead in the casting pool.
Skills like acrobatics, dancing, singing and musical instruments are great to have under your belt but they’re more likely to apply to extras or featured extras. However, you never know what skills the writers might have in mind for your character. And if you find yourself signing on for a while, they may even ask what kinds of skills of yours they could write in!
The Tape
When it comes to putting down the self tape, all the usual rules apply. Use a neutral-coloured background, good lighting, ensure clear visuals and audio and know your lines. Check over the self-tape instructions for direction on the framing and use that information to further inform your stylistic and aesthetic choices. If they’re asking for a tight close up, the scene is likely very intimate and they’re particularly interested in your eyes. So make sure they’re alive with imagination and imagery relevant to the scene. If the scene is a wider shot, they’re more interested in how you’re holding your body. Are you slumped over in a chair, hunched against the cold or are you lounging in a throne considering your subjects?
Your warmup should be thorough and energising, too. Get your energy as high as it can go and then let it bubble away inside. You might be feeling nervous or excited or a whole range of emotions and fair enough because you’re about to tape for a life-changing role in a global series. All of this is good energy that can be channelled into your performance.
After you’ve got the tape and sent it in, congratulations! It’s in the hands of the old gods now…
Conclusion
Game of Thrones became as popular because of its brilliant, unflinching writing and its ability to create characters who people loathed and loved. If you’re lucky enough to get the shot at taping for one of these characters, it’s important to know that you could be playing someone who will become the centre of the world’s adoration or hatred. That’s equally as exciting as it is terrifying. It’s no small thing to step into the public sphere and it’s honestly something worth considering whether or not you want that for your career. But that’s another article.
Hope this helped. See you around the traps!