Game of Thrones' Varys originally auditioned for a very different role
We’ll give you a clue: it wasn’t Daenerys
Here’s an epic twist of Red Wedding proportions: Conleth Hill, the not normally bald actor who plays Master of Whispers Varys in Game of Thrones didn’t actually audition for that role.
Instead, he went for a character that doesn't seen the end of series one. A man of high standing. The very highest in the Seven Kingdoms? With a beard?
Got it yet?
Yes, Hill revealed to The Huffington Post that he originally auditioned for the much louder (and hairier) Robert Baratheon, a role that originally went to Mark Addy.
"[The rumours are] true, to be honest," Hill said. "But I have to say that I came out of the meeting, which went all right, and looked who was in after me, saw who it was, and went, 'Well, he’d be all right for it,' and he was, and he got it. You know, that’s showbiz."
So, how did Hill get the role of Thrones’ most powerful eunuch (sorry, Theon)?
“I read for it, parts of the dungeon scene with Ned and the chest scene where he explains how he was made from sort of a slave to the security of Westeros,” explained Hill. “I think once I had already accepted the part, they said, “How do you feel about shaving your head?”
And thus, the Varys we all know was born…
