Why Jonathan Pryce Initially Turned Down Game Of Thrones

Some incredible talents were offered and ended up rejecting the opportunity to take a journey through Westeros when a little show called "Game of Thrones" came knocking at their door. Brian Cox has openly admitted to turning down a role on the groundbreaking show due to money issues, while the late Ray Stevenson also passed on "Game of Thrones" and instead went on to appear in series like "Black Sails" and "Ahsoka." Interestingly, it turns out Jonathan Pryce nearly missed that boat as well — that is, before he signed as the mild-mannered but impressively manipulative High Sparrow (who turned an entire city against Lena Headey's Cersei Lannister).

Speaking to BBC Radio 4 in 2015, Pryce explained that he was initially apprehensive about entering the "Game of Thrones" universe. "I'd said no [...] all I did was flip through [the script] and look at the names, look at these strange names, strange dialogue, and I thought, 'Oh, it's not for me,'" he recalled. Thankfully, the more time he spent getting to know the High Sparrow character, the more he warmed to the idea, especially when it came to his role in the larger narrative. "He comes into the story [when] everyone's well established, the goodies and the baddies," Pryce observed.

The High Sparrow wasn't the only option thrown Pryce's way, either. In fact, he was actually invited to tackle a role on the show well before that.

Season 5 might not be the best season of "Game of Thrones," but it certainly benefited from Pryce's High Sparrow quietly swooping in to mix things up. Still, he could have joined the series much sooner. Again, though, the problem was that the world of dragons and white walkers didn't really click with the actor. "It's a genre that's never appealed to me," he told Sky News in 2016. "There's lots of blockbuster series of things to do with fantasy, space, and all that that I'd never seen and didn't want to see, and 'Game Of Thrones' initially fell into that slot, so I passed on it."

While the actor didn't specify which gig he originally got offered (he'd have made a great Tywin Lannister), he clearly made the right choice. "But they came back with season 5 with the character of High Sparrow, and it was too good a chance to pass over this time," he added. Pryce was right to do so, as the Sparrow became one of the most influential and interesting players in the show, throwing Cersei's world off kilter before she finally got the upper hand. Poor High Sparrow. He may have put his faith in the seven, but it was simply no match for the remaining head of the Lannister family and some carefully placed wildfire canisters.