Why Game of Thrones Recast Daario Naharis in Season 4

The Daario Naharis actor change was Game of Thrones’ most dramatic recasting, with Michiel Huisman taking over the role from Ed Skrein in season 4. The character of Daario Naharis debuted in the Game of Thrones season 3 episode “Second Sons,” and grew into a more substantial role during season 4. Ed Skrein portrayed the Game of Thrones character for three episodes until Huisman took over the role in Game of Thrones season 4, and it resulted in audience confusion. Unlike the time-jump actor changes in House of the Dragon, there were no in-universe reasons for the Daario Naharis recast when Game of Thrones season 4 aired in 2014.

Once Huisman took over the role in season 4, he played a prominent character in the HBO series as one of Daenerys Targaryen’s key allies before eventually also becoming her lover. Alongside Grey Worm and Jorah Mormont, Michiel Huisman’s Daario pledged allegiance to Daenerys and succeeded in conquering the cities of Yunkai and Meereen. Despite being one of her most important allies, he was left behind when Daenerys took her army to Westeros and the character was never seen again. Even years after the series ended, the truth behind the Daario Naharis recasting on Game of Thrones remains a bit of a mystery.

Why Game Of Thrones Recast Daario Naharis

Ed Skrein Claimed He Was Recast On Game Of Thrones For Political Reasons

Given how short-lived Ed Skrein’s time on Game of Thrones was, there was a lot of interest in what went on behind the scenes that led to him leaving the show. Early reports indicated that the English actor left Game of Thrones ahead of season 4 to star in The Transporter Refueled instead, but Skrein was adamant that this wasn’t exactly the case.

After the of Daario Naharis role was recast, Ed Skrein revealed the truth about why he was replaced by Michiel Huisman, in his eyes at least. In an interview (via EW), Skrein explained that the change came as a result of “political” reasons rather than simply his role in the fourth Transporter movie.

“That’s what been reported in the press but it was a lot more political than that. My plan was to stay with
Game of Thrones
for the long haul. That was always my plan. I would have loved to. It was a wonderful experience, but politics led to us parting ways. And from there I just said, “Okay, look forward, be positive. Keep calm and carry on.” That’s my mentality when things go well, so I stay grounded and not get to overwhelmed by the hype, and it’s my mentality when the plans change.”

Skrein didn’t elaborate on what he meant by “politics“. Unfortunately, since nobody at HBO or on the Game of Thrones creative team commented either, the nature of these alleged “political” motivations is still a mystery.

Ed Skrein Wanted To Play Daario Naharis For Longer

The First Daario Naharis Actor Didn’t Intend To Leave So Quickly

According to Ed Skrein, his original plan was to play Daario Naharis on Game of Thrones for the long term — or at least until Daario’s final scenes in season 6. It certainly seems like Skrein leaving the series was not entirely his decision. It’s prevalent in this industry to use the term “parting ways” to describe a situation when two parties can’t reach a resolution, which seems to be the apt description for the Game of Thrones recasting decision. Whether creative decisions or contract disputes, the team behind Game of Thrones felt like the best option was to change actors.

Considering how Huisman’s portrayal of Daario differs considerably compared to Skrein’s, it indicates that Game of Thrones‘ recast efforts moved fast. It was a dramatic change of appearance for the character, as the long-haired and fresh face of Ed Skrein quickly turned to Michiel Huisman’s short hair and bearded, brooding face as Daenerys’ romantic interest in Game of Thrones season 4.

Which Daario Was Closer To The Book Version?

Ed Skrein’s Version Was More Book-Accurate (But Not By Much)

Interestingly, neither version of Daario Naharis in HBO’s Game of Thrones matches the character at much, at least in terms of their appearance. Daario in George R.R. Martin’s A Song Of Ice And Fire novels is described as having curly hair that reached down to his shoulders and a beard he styles into three prongs. He dyes his hair regularly, keeping it either blue or deep purple, and his moustache he paints gold. Daario also has a visible gold tooh in his mouth and keeps his fingernails enameled blue to match his hair.

Clearly, this image of Daario Naharis doesn’t ring true to either Ed Skrein or Michiel Huisman. While Skrein seems to have had the right length hair at least, he was also clean-shaven. Huisman’s version of the character may at least have had a beard, but it wasn’t the gold and blue three-pronged trident of the books. While HBO changing the appearances of various Game of Thrones characters is nothing new, it is interesting that Daario Naharis strayed as far as he did from the look of his on-page counterpart, especially when his description is so distinctive.

In terms of Daario’s personality, however, Ed Skrein’s version is much more accurate to the books than Michiel Huisman’s. Daario Naharis in the A Song Of Ice And Fire novels is incredibly cocky and arrogant, traits that Skrein’s version of the character portrays much more prominently. It’s unclear exactly why these sides of his personality were dialled down when Michiel Huisman took over, but it may have been to make the character a more palatable love-interest for Daenerys.

Daario Naharis Wasn’t The Only Game Of Thrones Recast

Several Characters Changed Actors In GoT

Throughout its eight-season run, there were plenty of other Game of Thrones characters that saw new actors replacing older ones. Among these are Myrcella and Tommen Baratheon, Leaf, Dickon Tarly, and Rickard Karstark. The Mountain was notably recast twice in Game of Thrones, though this decision made sense. He was played by Conan Stevens, Ian Whyte, and finally Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson until the end of the show. Given the character’s lack of dialogue and quick appearances, it wasn’t as noticeable when Björnsson finally took the role permanently in season 4.

Another Game of Thrones actor switch that made sense was the Night King. Both Richard Brake and Vladimír Furdík played the chilling villain. However, since The Night King had no dialogue and was covered in heavy prosthetics, the change wasn’t noticable to most viewers. Tommen’s and Myrcella Baratheon’s recasting also made more sense than that of Daario’s in Game of Thrones. As the series went on, their characters were upgraded to supporting roles, but before that, they were basically extras and never in the spotlight.

Although Daario Naharis was supposedly still in Meereen come Game of Thrones‘ controversial final season, many were disappointed not to see Michiel Huisman return to Daenerys’ army before the series finale. In terms of the story, the reason to leave Huisman’s Daario Naharis back in Meereen was likely because Daenerys would have a new, series-changing love interest in Game of Thrones season 7.

After Tyrion advised Daenerys to end her romance with Michiel Huisman’s Daario in the season 6 finale, she soon fell in love with the secret Targaryen heir Jon Snow upon allying with him. While Daenerys managed to take King’s Landing without the help of Daario Naharis, he was better off staying in Meereen, where he didn’t have to see his Game of Thrones queen destroy a city and end up assassinated by her new lover.

House Of The Dragon Isn’t Safe From Recasts Either

The Game Of Thrones Prequel Had Always Planned For Two Specific Recasts

Game of Thrones prequel series House of the Dragon also underwent several recasts, but unlike how the Daario recast happened, the prequel planned its actor changes from the beginning. A screen adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood novel, House of the Dragon uses time jumps to cover vast parts of House Targaryen’s reign. This meant the show had recasts of its own, although House of the Dragon’s recasts had a narrative reason and were deliberate.

The most notable of these recasts were initial Rhaenyra Targaryen actor Milly Alcock and Alicent Hightower actor Emily Carey being respectively replaced by Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke in House of the Dragon season 1, episode 6, which was necessary to reflect how the characters aged. Likewise, the same also happened to Rhaenyra and Alicent’s children in House of the Dragon season 1, episode 8, which showed the younger generation rising up to slowly assume their positions in the coming Dance of the Dragons.

Will Daario Naharis Return In A Game Of Thrones Spinoff?

It’s Uncertain If Viewers Will Get To See More Of Michiel Huisman’s GoT Character

HBO currently has 6 Game of Thrones spinoffs in development. While many are prequels like House of the Dragon, others, such as the untitled Jon Snow spinoff, will take place in the same era as Game of Thrones. This means there are opportunities for characters like Daario Naharis to return. Currently, there is no news on whether Daario will return in a future Game of Thrones spinoff. Not much is known about what Daario did after Game of Thrones season six, but the upcoming book The Winds of Winter could provide some answers.

If the on-page adventures of Daario will lend themselves to the character appearing in a future Game of Thrones spinoff — or even getting one of his own should his story arc be interesting and deep enough — remains unclear. Even with the actor change, Daario was one of the most interesting and under-explored Game of Thrones characters. Should HBO consider which Game of Thrones characters to bring back in a spinoff, Michael Huisman’s Daario should be a prime candidate.

What The Daario Naharis Actors Have Done Since Game Of Thrones

Michiel Huisman And Ed Skrein Have Both Had Active Careers

While the Daario Naharis actor change was dramatic, both actors have had fairly active careers since leaving Game of Thrones. Ed Skrein’s departure did indeed coincide with him taking the starring role in The Transporter: Refueled. However, the movie was a critical and financial disappointment that stopped any plans to continue the franchise. Skrein bounced back with a memorable villain role as Francis in Deadpool followed by more villain roles in Attila: Battle Angel and in Barry Jenkins’ Oscar-winning If Beale Street Could Talk. He will next be seen as part of the cast of All the Light We Cannot See.

Michiel Huisman had already started to build a respectable movie career while on Game of Thrones with the drama The Age of Adaline and the underrated horror movie The Invitation. After Game of Thrones ended, he jumped aboard another popular series with Mike Flanagan’s The House on Haunted Hill and later appeared in the first season of The Flight Attendant. More recently, Huisman appeared in the holiday fantasy movie A Boy Called Christmas. In a fun twist of fate, both Skrein and Huisman will appeared together in Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon.

Game Of Thrones

Created by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, Game of Thrones is a TV series based on the book “A Song of Ice of Fire” by George R. R. Martin. It tells the story of the ongoing battle between the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros – as they fight for control of the coveted Iron Throne. Friction between the houses leads to full-scale war. All while a very ancient evil awakens in the far north. Amidst the war, a neglected military order of misfits, the Night’s Watch, led by House Stark’s Jon Snow, is the first to encounter icy horrors that threaten all realms of men. The series premiered on HBO in the United States on April 17, 2011, and quickly became one of the biggest event series in the “Golden Age” of TV. Winner of 38 Primetime Emmy Awards, Game of Thrones has attracted record viewership on HBO and has a broad, active, international fan base.

Release Date

April 11, 2011

Seasons

8

Showrunner

David Benioff , D.B. Weiss

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