HBONever forget what you are...or who could have played these Game of Thrones characters.
As the beloved hit HBO series comes to a close with just two episodes remaining from its eighth and final season, it may surprise some fans to know the show would not have looked as it does today had a few casting choices gone differently all those years ago.
Sure, everyone knows Kit Harington as the one and only Jon Snow, but there were many times where other familiar Hollywood faces were up for the big role.
Now, nearly a decade later, it's almost bizarre to imagine anyone else playing some of the show's standout characters. So, who exactly was up for a part on Thrones that didn't ultimately pan out?
Check out E!'s gallery below for all of the answers!
Everyone knows Sophie Turner as Sansa Stark, but years ago, she was one of two actresses up for the role, the other being the Snow White and the Huntsman actress. "I got to the final two to play Lady Sansa Stark, but I didn't get it," she said back in 2013. "I was a bit sad, because the show's massive, but I'm not that unhappy, because they all show a lot of flesh, don't they? I don't think my parents would be happy."
Claflin has stolen our hearts in some romantic dramas, but turns out the actor was up for a darker role when it came to Game of Thrones: Viserys Targaryen. As he recalled to CinemaBlend, he also auditioned for Jon Snow, but other movies got in the way early in the process. "I auditioned for two different parts at once. But I think Snow White and the Huntsman—or was it Pirates of the Caribbean?—one of the two happened." He continued, "I sort of did my first auditions and I sort of went quiet basically, but I'm kind of glad. I like getting into things like that [as a viewer] and not being a part, because I always find it's very jarring if I was part of it. But I'm a big fan."
The Outlander star has found plenty of success on TV, but no luck yet with the HBO series. "I auditioned for Game of Thrones seven times! Loads of times," he revealed to Vulture in 2014. "I auditioned for Renly, Loras, some of the members of the Night's Watch. And I'd always get so close! I'd be like, 'Guys, just give me a sword!' Everyone was going in for those parts."
While he ended up landing the role of Ramsay Bolton, Rheon was initially considered for someone else you definitely know. "I auditioned for the pilot of Game of Thrones, and was down to the last two for Jon Snow, so I guess they knew me," he told The Telegraph of ultimately joining the cast.
One of the show's leads could have looked pretty different all those years ago had the Mad Max star gotten the gig instead. "I think I auditioned for Jon Snow," Hoult told Page Six. "I remember it because I was filming Clash of the Titans at the time, so I had long hair extensions. They gave me a ponytail and also a very patchy fake tan. So I remember being like, 'This is probably not what they're hoping for,' and it obviously wasn't."
The songstress almost joined her real-life younger brother, Alfie Allen, on the show, but the fact that he was her brother made things awkward. "I've been asked to do a Game of Thrones cameo, they asked me if I'd be interested in playing Theon's sister," Allen shared in a Reddit AMA. "I felt uncomfortable because I would have had to go on a horse and he would have touched me up and shit. Once they told me what was entailed, I said no thanks." The role of Yara Greyjoy ended up going to Gemma Whelan.