Exclusive: Tom Wlaschiha is Jaqen H’ghar

Oh YES.

Second?

Sorry.

All men must die. Guess it’s not Syrio.

Exclusive, awesomeness!

What does this mean, if anything, about the theory that Syrio = Jaqen? Regardless, he fits my mental image of Jaqen. I think his accent will be perfect for Jaqen’s interesting phrasing.

Oooooh. I like this one.

One of my favorite characters so far (am in the middle of SoS) and happy with this casting. He might eclipse jorah as top hunk.

I looooove this choice. He is a great actor, and really looks like I pictured Jaqen in my head.

Watch the first part of the showreel….

Tom: I don’t remember what you call the little animal…thin like a squirrel but it’s not…it’s a carnivore, deadly for it’s size…

Woman: A weasel?

Tom: Yes. A weasel.

Ohhhh man, what an awesome coincidence.

Holy mary mother of God!

I am pretty sure he was never that good looking in my head.

He has just jumped to sexiest man in GoT *faints*

That’s Jaqen, no question. There better not be any “gates” about this guy.

Now how the heck do you pronounce it?! JACK-en? JOCK-en? JAK-wen? Wa-KEN? Wa-KEEN?

His showreel is impressive. I like his abilities. It appears they’ve made another good casting choice. I think he’ll quite easily slip into the dangerous, mysterious Jaqen. *thumbs up*

Perfect voice! I’m really liking this.

Oooh I like, perfect eyes for the part. However I’m not sure about a german accent, vallar morghullis hmmm actually maybe that would work

Josh Parker:
That’s Jaqen, no question. There better not be any “gates” about this guy.

Now how the heck do you pronounce it?! JACK-en? JOCK-en? JAK-wen? Wa-KEN? Wa-KEEN?

For me personally, JOCK-wen has always been the preferred pronunciation.

Based on what they’ve done with the other characters, I’d say this IS an excellent choice. Great job on casting. Can’t wait to see him in costume.

He has Lee van Cleef’s eyes

Pronounciation-wise in german, Yarkin at a guess ;)

K, so now we know that David Wilmot was not hired for either of the roles we know he auditioned for.

So could he be the Blackfish? Please, Nina? He’d be perfect and you wouldn’t even have to dye his hair!

Oooh, he’s gonna be good.

This should kick off a whole new round of murmurs over what they’re up to with Shae, since she also has a German accent.

They can skip the bicolored hair AFAIC – one of Martin’s little conceits that has gotten sillier and sillier over time.

LAWD HE IS SO PHOINE!! I CANNOT WAIT TO SCREAM ABOUT HIM ON MY TWITTER WHENEVER HE COMES ON SCREEN BECAUSE I.AM.DYING.ALREADY.AT.HIS.SEXINESS.I.CANNOT!!!

AND HE HAS SOME *ALMOST* NAKED PICS OF HIM WHERE YOU CAN ALMOST SEE HIS DICK FROM SOME MOVIE WHERE HE APPARENTLY PLAYS A GAY GUY IDK SO MIGHT WE EXPECT A PENIS SHOT FROM HIM?!!!!!!!!!! HBO DO.NOT.LET.ME.DOWN.

A man approves.

I just recently finished the first Arya chapter in ADwD, and GRRM is still alluding to connections between Syrio and the Faceless Men. I’d bet Syrio will reveal himself as either the kindly priest of the Many Faced God in Braavos, or the Faceless Man currently posing as Pate at the Citdel.

I’ve always pronounced his name as “Jacques” -en.

Oh, nice choice. He looks like a younger version of Jude Law, which is a nice thing to look like :)

Paco,

We missed you :)

And with the hair… split colors hairdo looks too corny, imho.

I think they’ll go with a more streaked hair, if they keep the read and white colors anyway.

Epic knows nothing,

O…kay…

Actually I’m a rabid fan-caster. I know it’s stupid, but I can’t help it.

I was impressed by Wilmot’s audition videos but I’m cool with both casting choices for the roles in question.

The true “cast him now!” audition video was Jonny Philips as Balon. He rocked that role and truly seemed to get the character. He made me feel like he could tell you all about Balon without having to think about it.

A man loves this choice!

Really happy with this casting :D
I’ve seen him on screen before and I’m sure he can pull it off!

wow…EACH half of his face is quite unique from the other. that gives him a verrrrrry distinct look and will be perfect with the 2-toned hair. hmmm…some good thinking went into this cast. “-)

an excellent choice!

but c’monnnn…sexier than SER JORAH? didja see that open green jerkin wore when he took khaleesi shopping? do you have an HDTV? puhhh-lleeze! “-)

Oh wow, he looks great! excellent man of mystery face, cool eyes! I hope the ABANDON the two toned red and white hair. That will only make him look like a clown, onscreen. He would be fine with a long brown or black wig.

Of course my fan theory that Syrio=Jaquen would have me prefering that they use Miltos as Jaquen, and change his face and hair in the traditional way of faceless men and women, wigs, makeup and prosthetics. But it looks like they have decided to go with a different actor, which doesn’t really confirm or deny anything in my opinion, yet, about the S=J theory. In fact it will just make it more dramatic, if it’s true.

purplejilly,

I love how you are so sure about your fan theory that you had to spoiler-guard it.

Winter Is Coming,

I see. Then it’s not quite as endearing as I thought then is it?

Winter, do you know something we don’t or is a rule for all theories?

I hope they don’t keep his accent. I don’t want Lorath to turn into Germany.

I realy like this casting, just by his look. He realy has that H’gar wibe.
That said. Jaquen is in reality Sirio Forell, aka, The Faceless man

A girl likes. A girl swoons.

60 comments and nobody complained he isn’t pretty enough?

WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT YOU DID TO HOUSE GATEWATCH!

On a more serious note – I think he will be a good Jaqen.

Epic knows nothing:
Winter Is Coming,

I see. Then it’s not quite as endearing as I thought then is it?

Winter, do you know something we don’t or is a rule for all theories?

I believe the spoiler that WiC wants us to tag is the fact that Jaqen is a Faceless Man. purplejelly’s theory reveals that bit.

Edit: Winter beat me to it. And more vaguely. Mine’s more spoilery!

Matthew:
I hope they don’t keep his accent.I don’t want Lorath to turn into Germany.

I have it on good authority that the Lorathi like bratwurst and sauerkraut, as well as driving their Mercedes with full speed on the autobahn. ;)

On Topic: I really like this casting, he has an interesting look that is just right for Jaqen.

that accent will be amazing for jaqen. i can’t wait to hear him say,”a man knows.”

I like this casting. For some reason I always saw Johnny Depp in my mind for Jaquen when reading, and this guy has the same bone/facial structure.

I hope they keep the long two tone hair also!

I like this casting as well. I want them to keep the two tone hair. I would like to see this for three reasons:
1) It drew attention to the character immediately.
2) They have done an excellent job so far of making usually cheesy elements of fantasy look realistic. I believe it could be pulled off and would like to see it done well. (this reason has nothing to do with the show itself, I am simply a costume enthusiast and seeing it done well would make me very happy)
3) When he does transform, going from bright two-toned/split hair to a drab brown or black is a really simple way to begin making the character turn from this attractive eye-drawing looking man to a very plain/unattractive man.

Ivan Popić,

Just to keep things legal:

He can support my bottom anytime.

Regarding spoilers, I could see them all on my IPhone. Spoiler tagged details are bold not hidden when I look through the comments.

Also, has anyone heard if they are cutting any characters from the show? Blackfish keeps coming up as one character, but what about Meera and Jojen. Are they still keeping them and the two Walders?

He looks perfect :)
A girl likes.

He’s perfect. I haven’t seen him act but in terms of appearance, it’s perfect casting

Jillian: Thi casting is making me wish there were Jaqen/ Margaery Tyrell love scenes. I know its ridiculous, but with Dormer as Margaery and this guy, it would have been epic.

It is HBO, after all, they LOVE to add in sex scenes. Fills the boobs, butt and skin quota for each episode :)

This is perfect. Exactly how I thought of him. He was great in Brideshead Revisited. Carice Van Houten was also in Valkyrie. I’d be really interested to see how the casting process for the show works.

Looks very much like i viewed him. I really like the potential german accent aswell.

Paco,

I think you have to start talking yourself out of the desired shot...there would be opportunity for it in the bathtub scene...but since his character’s main interaction is with an underage girl ,and is decidedly non-sexual
…maybe you’ll just have to dream. ( Dreams are good) :)

The red and white hair doesn’t have to be like the wig picture shown previously. It can be done in a subtle way, like http://www.towerofthehand.com/essays/top30affc/23.html

Start with that picture as a baseline, make the majority of it white with about 1/4th a natural auburn and it will look just fine.

That being said, the REASON to keep the red/white hair is so people understand he is a bloody mummer (or at least has taken the face of a bloody mummer in his FM quest). If the wardrobe/makeup department comes up with another way for people to understand that he’s a member of the bloody mummers then the two-tone hair is no longer required, IMO.

for name pronunciation, I always went with szah-KEN heh-GAHR.

But the JAY-kin thing works too. Just isn’t based on jacque so I didn’t go that route.

rob,

I think the hair is meant to reflect a fashion from parts of Essos. Jaqen’s not a Bloody Mummer when first we meet.

I like the red/white hair , but don’t mind if he doesn’t have it , just so long as they keep his hair long. And harking back to Wig-gate..it must be a ! GOOD ! wig. ( accent the GOOD , all my tags and what-not have disappeared) Once he’s free, and allowed to bathe,( or once he’s taken over by the alchemist , depending on how things work out ) he’s something of a peacock..his hair is clean and beautiful. ( Loras’ wig was a travesty.)

A man is cast…
A man plays a role…

On a side note…my brother is listening to the books on audio and the guy (Roy Dotrice) reading the audio books pronounces his name Jake-In.

Ivan Popić: 60 comments and nobody complained he isn’t pretty enough?

WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT YOU DID TO HOUSE GATEWATCH!

man, he IS pretty ;)

Skye: A girl likes.

this girl agrees

I will be watching him with… interest.

YESSSSS! This guy looks awesome. Jaqen is one of the most exciting castings for me, probably number two behind Stannis, because I’ve always really liked the character. I love that we are told he is this criminal being sent to the Wall, probably the most rugged/gruff place in Westeros, but then over time we see that he’s actually more of a refined gentleman type…but also a dangerous assassin.

The only thing I’ve seen that has Tom Wlaschiha in is Brideshead Revisited, and he only had a minor role in that. But I am very, very excited, because he LOOKS PERFECT! Handsome, but definitely unique. He has great, expressive eyes. This is hard to explain, but I feel as though his eyes (in the IMDB pictures anyway) convey a detachment that I think is really very fitting for Jaqen. He actually comes really close to how I imagine the character.

IMDB says he is multilingual. Maybe he’ll be able to do some great unique ambiguous accent to make Jaqen sound foreign without sounding too much like any “real world” ethnic group.

Also, this is really off-topic, but he sort of looks like a German Harry Connick, Jr. with a fairer complexion.

To Tom – Welcome! Valar Morghulis!

Camilo_Mallea,

Can’t tell if you’re joking, but that was just an extra with a sack on his head

OhWhoCares:
Camilo_Mallea,

Can’t tell if you’re joking, but that was just an extra with a sack on his head

yuo’re rigth, i cheked the video and his face did not appear… i didnt remeber that… Thanks!!

Camilo_Mallea,

no worries!

Nobody has bitched yet….. Yay

Wow, I was totally intrigued with the character in the books – now I cannot wait to see this actor’s portrayal of him in the show! Oh April cannot get here fast enough!

He looks like he has 2 right eyes.

I think this is kinda similar to last year casting of Aiden Gillen. NOBODY had shit to say. No nose, ass, eyebrow, ear, mouth, whatever the fuck gate.

purplejilly:
Lorath always sounded to me like a city from a Dr. Suess book.. and the red and white hair mess reinforces that.. LOL..“I fight for the Trees!” cries Jaquen

I know I need coffee today, because I tried, unsuccessfully, to “like” this for a solid 30 seconds.

Obsidian,

BUT BUT BUT… MAYBE THEY CAN HAVE A SEXPOSITION SCENE BETWEEN HIM AND PIA? OR MAYBE ONCE THE WHOLE BATHTUB SCENE BETWEEN HIM AND ARYA IS OVER THEY CAN HAVE A SCENE WHERE HES GETTING OUT OF THE TUB OR EVEN BEFORE, OF HIM GETTING *IN* THE TUB!

I NEED NAKED JACKOFF H’GHAR IN MAH LIFE

Tar Kidho,

Actually, I wouldn’t want to hear a specifically German accent but often a non-English speaker trying to do a British or American accent ends up with a decidedly different sounding but not identifiable one instead.
Could be very interesting.
And yes, he’s supposed to be a good looking guy. The ladies at Harrenhall go gaga over him and it’s all the more remarkable when he eventually assumes the very plain curly-haired visage that is apparently his “real” face.

Me likeee! This another piece of good news in the casting department. That is why I’m always attracted to HBO shows, not only for the quality, but also for the fact that I get to discover soo many great actors that I might otherwise not get the chance to watch anywhere else!

daveb: I know I need coffee today, because I tried, unsuccessfully, to “like” this for a solid 30 seconds.

hahahahaha! Get some coffee, Dave!

Epic The Balls,

This thread watches women swoon like a field of grass in the wind.

*clears his throat while staring once again at Tom’s picture and swooning a la Sansa*

If we’re playing that game I’ll put in for a Dany/Margaery love scene…

Jillian:
Thi casting is making me wish there were Jaqen/ Margaery Tyrell love scenes. I know its ridiculous, but with Dormer as Margaery and this guy, it would have been epic.

Winter Is Coming: Don’t you think it would kinda be weird when the audience recognizes Miltos as Syrio and Arya doesn’t?

I wonder if they will change it, and let Arya recognize him after all. It wouldn’t hurt. Or maybe his face shifts, then once Arya says her final no, and he walks away, maybe THEN he shifts all the way into Miltos.

clemintine: Jaquen: What’s your accent?
Shae: Foreign. What’s yours?
Jaquen: Foreign.

lol. And I add:

Shae: Tyrion, what’s your accent exactly?
Tyrion: Ah, emm, English of cah-ourse. isn’t that right sweet brather?
Jaime: Ja, don’t be tåbelig

Winter Is Coming,

Here’s how they do it:

[Jaqen changes his face & turns into the Alchemist]
Arya: [stunned] Syrio???
Alchemist: Not today

That sounds like bad fanfic, lol.

Seems like a great choice to me, I look forward to seeing him on the show.

purplejilly,

If the theory is true…I always imagined they’d let Syrio come through for just a moment, mid-morph , and then slide on into the Alchemist. Arya could be looking away, rubbing her eyes, thinking her eyes were deceiving her.. there’s any number of ways they could avoid full recognition.

As for Tom’s showreel , I agree the heavily accented part is obviously supposed to be Russian . Now, knowing he’s multi-lingual, I’m sure he can come up with something indeterminate , as Miltos did for Syrio.

ETA: There are only a couple of brief glimpses of him smiling on the showreel, but it seems he could make it sufficiently wicked looking.

Jenn Rose:
A girl likes. A girl swoons.

A man reads. A man lols.

Julian Walker,
Jim Cross,

Even though it was only fairly mild bitching, I feel so utterly neglected today :-)

I do wonder if they’ll keep the two-toned hair. As others have noted, it might look a little goofy onscreen.

Seems like a great choice!

He looks like a cross between Brad Pitt and the captain in Firefly, btw.

Oh, and i was looking for that smile from him through the entire showreel, and finally, at the very end we get a good shot of him smiling. His smiling face looks like a jokermask! Exellent!

I’m surprised at how few people seem to consider the fact that his hair doesn’t have to have realistic shades.

It’s a fashion choice. It’s not naturally occurring. People in our world dye their hair odd colors too, especially common among people with unconventional lifestyles. Not to mention people from other cultures. Jaqen’s hair is like that. It’s not supposed to be a natural thing in nature in that world either, lol.

It just sometimes feels like there’s this attempt to “tone down” outlandish elements of the writing for screen. As though you want to make everything bland and “normal-looking.”

purplejilly,

Ah well, you might remember I was sceptical about NCW as well at first (and was proven wrong!), so I probably just feel threatened by too-goodlooking men :-)

I’ll do an attempt to jump on the fan-wagon then and say that I’d like to see Jaqen wearing this. Btw, I’m not just talking about the white/red wig, also about the face – hey, he(she?) can change his(her?) face, so why shouldn’t we men hope that at some point D&D will make a gender-related plot-change?! :-)

andrea,

This woman just squeed and swooned…

Tar Kidho,

I’ll support your bottom!

purplejilly,

he can throw a bomb through my gates anytime he likes…

Fantastic! *u*

Ooooooh, he looks creepy. I mean that in a good way.

Rae,

I can’t wait to hear him speak the lines from the book.

Tar Kidho,

there you go

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Ptitlegynukzwikxmd?from=Main.RanmaOneHalf

DibuK,

You’re right ! Plus Jaqen’s next face looks a lot like Miltos Yerolemou (who played Syrio)

Jaqen was one of my favourite characters too, and this is a great choice, to me

Obsidian,

If Wlaschiha is Polish, then the ‘W’ is not silent, it’s an English ‘V’. And there is is rarely a “Wl” combination — it normally would be “Wł”, with the “l-bar” rather than a plain ‘l’. The ‘ł’ (l-bar) is pronounced like an English ‘w’. For example, the Russian name “Vladimir” becomes “Władimir” in Polish, and is pronounced vwah-DEE-meer.

“sch” is a standard German combination of letters that is equivalent to an English “sh”, but it is a combination almost never seen in Polish. My guess is that “Wlaschiha” is a Germanified spelling of a Polish name and is now pronounced either “vlah-SHEE-ha” or “vwah-SHEE-ha”.

Yay! Another eye candy to salivate on.

Winter Is Coming,

I know what happens in the books, but unless you’ve got an advanced script for season two there’s nothing to say she WON’T recognize him.

That’s the reason I always have my, “This is a theory about the show, not the book,” disclaimer.

Maxwell James,

Just so.

If they decide to do this, there could be many reasons she doesn’t or can’t follow him to ask questions. It’s already a change to the book if they do it, because Syrio and the Alchemist don’t look alike in the book. So, if they make the change, the could change a lot about that moment.

WOW…he is incredibly good looking. There’s no way they can only use him for one season….!!

A girl drools on her keyboard.

I’m sorry I have nothing intelligent to say about this casting.

Paco,

lolz—thanks Paco for all the pics!

Paco:
Obsidian,

YOU NEED JAQEN SMILES?!!!

I ALSO GOT JAQEN SMOLDERS!

GQ JAQEN!

SHIRTLESS JAQEN

MODEL JAQEN

COLLEGE JAQEN

AND… MY DREAM MAN… GEEK JAQEN

THATS RIGHT! JUDGE AWAY… *HATERS GONNA HATE*

Gene,

I know you’re right.. About 10 minutes after posting , I realised I was thinking of some other conversation about pronunciations I’d had in the past..Not the one with my Polish friend ( or I was mixing them up …heh !) .. but since no-one picked up on it ( they were really discussing the pronunciation of Jaqen’s name) ,I just let it pass…Silly me !

I stand happily corrected. :)

Obsidian,

In Polish it’s even different writing of the name Włażycha. You english spelling persons should spell the beginning Wla- just like Vla-dimir rest is more difficult because its only our form of spelling of it familiar to a voice that gives a nail scratching a board, but not like in the films, its very low like mens low voice and at last cha is like Ha- in Harrenhall spoken by Pycell in episode 8.

Really excited about this one, he looks perfect.

Paco,

Oh Paco, don’t do this to me…I was just trying to come to grips with my Sandor/Rory McCann obsession…and now I have to deal with being attracted to Jaqen H’ghar as well? (Let’s not even go into the TV-Attractiveness-Upgrade of Jorah Mormont.)

Mongerel,

Mongerel:
(all sulky) Shoulda cast a person of color

/sarc

Me: Congrats Tom Wlaschiha (places internet lick very gently on that gorgeous lower lip)

Hahaha, too funny :)

He’s also got that Yin Sanpaku thing going on (when more white of the eye shows at the bottom). When more white shows at the top, it’s usually a thyroid disorder, but when it’s at the bottom, it just looks creepy. From Wiki:

When the bottom part of the white part of the eye known as the sclera is visible it is referred to as ‘Yin Sanpaku’ by the Chinese

In August 1963, macrobiotic pioneer George Ohsawa predicted that President John F. Kennedy would experience great danger because of his sanpaku condition.

People with sanpaku eyes may also be feared to be prone to violent or disordered behaviors

He looks perfect to me. Especially after viewing the showreel. I wonder how much Carice and Nicolaj had to do with that casting?

Maxwell James,

Exactly!

There are a lot of folks who have posted very well-thought-out arguments of why S=J doesn’t work for the books. I never considered it an option. However, when Miltos was cast I was struck with how he looked like the description of the alchemist. When they kept his hair, I realized the idea that they may do S=J for the show may have some merit after all. More Miltos isn’t a bad thing.

Oh my!!! RAWR.

So… can anyone explain to me who the Liam Neeson-lookalike was that I saw in episode 10? I thought that was Jacken Huuuu*spits*ghar (it’s how I pronounce his name) or any of the 3 shackled prisoners. Or was he just an extra who the directors decided to focus some seconds on?

There is NO new POPULAR STAR IN SECOND SEASON ! IT IS NOT GOOD

Max from Russia,

I’m sure the attractive and (hopefully) talented new cast members of season two will do their fare share to keep the show going, as will the attractive and (definitely) talented returning cast members.

Paco,

You are my new best friend! :D
I can’t decide which one I like best!

With Nina Gold making this choice, I can’t imagine anything disappointing.

Paco,

Gee, Paco…

You are just a phenomenal research person…when you’re inspired. ;)

Elena Amici,

Thanks Elena! In the examples of topics covered I saw a lot of themes that also appear in ASOIAF, like anti-hero, badass family, chef of iron, domestic abuse, evil feels good, evil twin, improbable weapon user, kill it with fire… :-)

purplejilly: That’s actually a pretty cool looking wig, but it does seem pretty feminine.

Since he was described as slender and fine-featured, I’ve allways imagined Jaqen to have rather feminine features. But maybe that wig is a bit too much even for book-Jaqen, and it would certainly look rediculous on TW ;-) Then again, maybe that would be a good thing, or all we’re gonna hear from you fan-girls (and PACO) is brainless nonsense rivalling the level of a certain Miss Teen South Carolina 2007 contestant!

I like the look and his intensity. I wish we had a show reel without the Russian accent, though. Are there other show reels or other clips out there?

Oh, and for those of you who have been wanting Noomi Rapace for various roles, don’t give up! She is currently filming Prometheus, which has Nina Gold as casting director. So Noomi has a strong Nina Gold connection now. Maybe for Arianne Martel? :)

Langkard: I wish we had a show reel without the Russian accent, though. Are there other show reels or other clips out there?

Just keep on watching – after the Russian-accent clip, there’s a bunch where he speaks German, but also one where he speaks English with a slight German accent (after about 5/8, where it says ‘Property of Brideshead Production’ across the image)

Tar Kidho,

I take your point , but the character has an accent anyway, so who’s to say what it is ?

He should try an old Yiddish accent just to throw some new things into the mix. :D

I was really hoping for Christopher Heyerdahl but Tom looks interesting.

Tom è seducente, sarà perfetto per il ruolo, finalmente possiamo goderci un bravo attore che soddisferà il grande pubblico, possiamo solo aspettarci grandi cose:)

Tar Kidho:
Julian Walker,
Jim Cross,

Even though it was only fairly mild bitching, I feel so utterly neglected today :-)

I really like him, but if you want I can pretend I don’t? ;p

Tar Kidho:
Obsidian,

As I said earlier in the thread, the reason I hope it’s some obscure or even fake accent is that otherwise I’ll automatically connect the character to a real-world country, and that would be very odd to me. (in this regard, for me the most recognizable accents in English are Dutch, French, Italian, Spanish, American and Russian, and it would put me off if a certain character or population began speaking with any of those…)

I agree whole-heartedly. It would be great if they could “create” accents for various regions of the ASOIAF world…or at least do blended accents, or perhaps lesser known dialectal accents. I think the show would have a lot more texture that way and it would suck us in even more, because we wouldn’t constantly associate places in Westeros/Essos with real-world countries. It might not be possible, but hey, I wouldn’t have said creating a unique language was possible either if you’d asked me a year ago. :)

But in terms of inspiration, I’ve always associated the Free Cities with the Mediterranean…mainly Italy, Spain, the former Yugoslavia, Greece and Turkey. There is so much movement among the various ethnic groups in Essos that I think HBO really has a chance to pull influences from many cultures and create a unique feel for the Free Cities. I’m really, really excited to see how they do it (even though that won’t be for a while).

This guy really looks the part, and I certainly hope they ditch the red and white hair. It’s one of those GRRM cheese ball fantasy elements that I just hate in the books, and I don’t think would work at all on screen. Other examples of this phenomenon: crazy dyed beards, hair styled to look like hands and horns, one-breasted dresses, Tyrion cartwheeling and jousting on a pig, etc.

Also, just for the record, I think that S=J is a rather silly theory, with very little evidence to support it, especially compared with more likely (and substantiated) theories like R+L=J.

Lastly, since House Gatewatch seems to be (mercifully) silent on this casting, let me just say that Tom Wlaschiha’s ears are way too wrinkly and now the whole series is ruined forever and I’m not even going to watch.

Max from Russia: Cool ! what about Rorge ?

We already saw him in ep10 of Season 1, some people think he looks like Liam Neeson.

http://www.funnyjunk.com/funny_pictures/2257174/Liam+Neeson+in+Game+of+Thrones+desc/

http://randyjim.files.wordpress.com/2007/07/no-one-sleeps.jpg
myst jaqen looks

The Actor is 38, perfect jaqen age in my opinion…

perfect choice :) very happy!!!

I’m so glad I saw someone else voice it in this thread. I was starting to think I’m the only person who doesn’t think Jaqen is Syrio.

I’ve always pronounced it as Jza-ken personally… Interesting to hear it said though. I like the look of him. Slightly creepy but sexy. Alluring in that ‘I’m gonna regret this’ kinda way.

Paco,

paco, you know i love you, don’t you? (not in THAT way. in the other)

Has anyone seen the 16-bit Game of Thrones RPG on Collegehumor? Definitely worth checking out!

http://www.collegehumor.com/video/6579356/game-of-thrones-rpg

Alexander Dubrovsky,

The books aren’t finished. We don’t know if Syrio is dead. We may very well never know. There’s no proof either way. Not that I agree with any theories–theories are fan fiction.

And regarding ‘sacrifice’, season 1 only hints at the concept of loyalty but it doesn’t follow through. Septa Mordane’s head on a pike only suggest the possibility. Her death comes as a shock and I don’t believe she would immediately come to the conclusion her life is in danger. But at least she is part of house Stark, she’s from the North. Syrio, an outsider, not from the North, is probably paid by the hour, or something like that. He can step in and out of the politics at any time. He might like Arya a great deal, and he might put his life on the line for her, but I don’t know we can know if he would give up his life for her; not from the show or the books. He’s more of a mercenary who evidently shares the sense of right and wrong with the audience.

I guess sometimes being vague and incomplete in storytelling works in your favor. GRRM is against fanfic but he doesn’t mind allowing wild theories to develop for years.

clemintine,

“That doesn’t mean they can’t add a new scene with him *ahem* interacting with other characters.”

hmmm. But how is Ros going to be at Harrenhall?

Tar Kidho: I clearly have a Flemish accent

You are from the land of Flem?? *snicker*

okay, sorry, I know that was a bad joke but it’s one of those days..

OT- So many “Epic” user names now, I was wondering where Epic The Balls went? That one made me laugh.

Gene: All men must die.

He was born in Dohna, in the Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge administrative district of Saxony, Germany. A famous German operatic baritone named Ekkehard Wlaschiha was born nearby in the same district in Pirna.

That area of Saxony has many Sorbs (also called Wends). The Sorbs are ethnically related to the other West Slavic groups like the Czechs, Slovaks and Poles, but are as distinct from them as they are from each other. Wlaschiha is most likely a Sorb name, not a Germanized Polish name.

For those thinking of how Jaqen is pronounced… Roy Dotrice of the audiobooks pronounces it “Jay-kin”

Mike Lee, on the Feast for Crows audibook, pronounces it “Jack-in”

NewJeffCT,

Jack-In is how I pronounced it in my head :P

Pronounciation from a German POV: Ja’ ken – ha-gharr

i’m really looking forward to season 2!!
would like to suggest Rufus Sewell as Edmure Tully. Take a look at his pictures at http://www.fortunecity.com/lavender/fullmonty/482/rufus.htm and don’t tell me he can’t pass off as Richard Madden’s uncle!! the curly hair, those large expressive eyes. plus, he’s a few years younger than Michelle Fairley, so he can definitely be her younger brother and heir of Riverrun! i just keep imagining Rufus with those curly locks when i read about Edmure, esp when he is standing forlornly in front of some besieged castle with something around his neck.

Caedes,

I’ll CRY if they change Jaqen’s hairdo!

Sandra Gomes,

Yeah definitely! He works so well for Jaqen because he is so handsome in such an odd way. The book describes him as being oddly handsome as well so he is perfect!