The Real Reason Ed Skrein Left Game of Thrones (It Was a Huge Mistake)Image credit: Twentieth Century Fox, HBO

Why leave the biggest TV project of our time?

Game of Thrones has become world famous not only for its sudden deaths and court intrigues, but also for its numerous recasts of minor characters. For example, the character of Gregor “The Mountain” Clegane has been played by three different actors.

This was not immediately apparent, however, as Clegane wears a dark helmet that completely covers his face during most of his on-screen appearances.

Daario Naharis Was Played by Two Different Actors

The most notable actor change, however, was that of Daario Naharis. The first episodes of the fourth season of Game of Thrones surprised viewers with a sudden casting change — Daenerys’ admirer was played by a different actor.

In the third season, the role of Daario was played by Ed Skrein, but he was replaced by Michiel Huisman, who offered a completely different image of this character: Naharis became more brutal and closer to the book version, which was appreciated by fans.

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However, in the book source, Daario seduced Daenerys with a blue beard in the shape of a trident and a gold tooth, so both Skrein and Huisman were far from the canonical image. What’s funny, not all viewers even realized that Skrein’s Daario and Huisman’s Daario were the same character.

Although Ed Skrein’s role in Game of Thrones was secondary, his character was given a fair amount of screen time in the third and fourth seasons — at the height of the project’s popularity. So why did the actor decide to leave the greatest show of our time?

Ed Skrein Left GoT for Another Project

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According to the official version, the replacement was made because Ed Skrein received an offer he couldn’t refuse — to play the lead role in the movie The Transporter Refueled, replacing one of the main action stars, Jason Statham. So he simply didn’t have time for a supporting role in Game of Thrones.

However, the reboot of the once popular franchise did not justify itself — with a budget of $22 million, The Transporter Refueled made $69 million, which covered the costs but was not a high enough result for the studio to decide to make another Transporter movie.