There’s no other show on TV right now that has the same level of casting cache that Game of Thrones has. Not only is it a hugely popular series (always a plus for a veteran actor hoping to gain more fans in their later years), but it’s also become a bit of a lightning rod for older men and women who just want to have some fantasy fueled fun while cashing in a usually decent paycheck. It also helps that everyone in Westeros is either 27 or on their deathbed, allowing for more available roles than usual to people above the age of 60.
Who are also white. And British.
Esteemed character actor Jim Broadbent (Professor Slughorn in the Harry Potter series) fits that very description though, so of course he has been added to the cast of the show’s seventh (and penultimate) season. Entertainment Weekly (the exclusive home for official Game of Thrones scoops, it seems) broke the news earlier today, providing little detail on who Broadbent would be playing, but promising his role will be of the “significant” variety. Considering the spoiler-phobic nature of the show, and Broadbent’s relative level of fame, nothing in that last sentence should come as any sort of surprise.
Still though, Game of Thrones has another great veteran actor in its rank, and that’s certainly nothing to sneeze at. After all, following the conclusion of season 5, the show is surprisingly lacking in them — that David Bradley/Jonathan Pryce murder combo was brutal. But when there’s a quasi Medieval set fantasy property, there will be elderly white men. Expect another dozen to be cast shortly.
-Matthew