Game of Thrones, again: the actors ages

[alexandral]

I have been wondering about this for ages: everyone in the series looks so much older than I have imagined them to be, practically everyone. It bothers me in few cases , especially with Cersei who is supposed to be this undenied beauty of her kingdom, but as much as I think Lena H. is a gorgeous woman, she is not beautiful enough. I am also not happy that The Hound is so much older (although I like how Rory McCann plays him), but I fear The Hound's story is not going to be quite the same as in the books anyways.

There was a very interesting post in Russian "Game of Thrones" community, here, by serebrenikoff.I added Bran's age myself.

In tangential note, whilst looking for GoT communities (as obsessed person I am), I also found French, Italian and Spanish GoT communities on Lj , which is awesome.

Here is the translated age table (please let me know if anything is not correct):

Character	book age	TV age	Actor age
Eddard Stark	35	40	52
Catelyn Stark	34	35	39
Robb Stark	14	17	25
Jon Snow	14	17	25
Sansa Stark	11	13	13
Arya Stark	9	11	11
Bran Stark	7	10	11(?)
Robert Baratheon	36	40	47
Joffrey Baratheon	13	13	18
Tyrion Lannister	24	30	40
Jaime Lannister	32	35	40
Cersei Lannister	32	35	37
Sandor Clegane	27 (?)		42
Theon Greyjoy	19	19	24
Viserys Targaryen	23	20	27
Daenerys Targaryen	13	15	22
Jorah Mormont	40	40	49

I wonder if it is just me or if the fact that so many characters are older bothers anyone else?

Also, some of the characters are not in the list, please let me know if you know the ages in the book and TV for:

Petyr Baelish
Lysa Arryn
Barristan Selmy
Renly Baratheon
Loras

Spoilers: Some book spoilers in the comments

Comments

[nutmeg3.livejournal.com]

I can't say the changes really bother me, because in my head most of them look older anyway. And in the case of the children, I think they were just too young as written for a lot of what they did to seem believable to me. And on screen, watching a 13-year-old Dany essentially getting raped would have been too hard for people to stomach, imo. So I'm fine with the changes, and my occasional complaints with the casting are based on other things.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

I am different.
With kids, I agree with Dany and Sansa's being made a little older (they would have been too young for what was happening to them).

Bran - not so much. I adore the actor, but I feel making him older is another way of softening Cersei and Cersei/Jaime. It would have been much more distressing to see a cute 7-year old to be thrown out of the window than a teenage-y boy. This softening is probably one of my major disagreements with the series.

Where it comes to a big difference with me is adults. I must confess, as much as I like Ned's and Jaime's casting I still would have preferred (as in, liked it 10 times better :D) if they were portrayed as cloes to the book age as possible. And the same with everyone else as far as adults are concerned. It just the story has shifted into a story about middle-aged characters insted of a story about charcaters that are essentially still young (and full of vigor :D). I am just a shallow person, I confess.

On a strange note, the actor that plays Tyrion looks much yonger than his 40. I thought he is 20-somehting. Very odd.

[langoustes.livejournal.com]

I thought the actor that plays Tyrion was 27ish. He looks so young!

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

I thought the same!

[megaranight.livejournal.com]

Problem with fantasy books is that characters are usually very young, like 13 or 14 for the young hero with a quest. But they don't act like 13 years old, more than 16 or 18 years old. I guess that it comes from Middle Ages where people were growing up much faster than now, and at 14 were already married. But for us modern readers, it could be a bit unsettling. If showrunners had chosen younger actors for the younger characters (not talking about Jaime or Ned or Cersei), it would have looked like a show for teen, and some scenes would have been impossible to shot (Dany's wedding night, for instance). Usually, actors are 5 to 10 years older than the character they portray, whatever the show.

Circei as the most beautiful woman in the whole 7 kingdoms? Okay, Lena Headey is gorgeous but, then, why not choose Diane Kruger, who already played Helen of Troy? Even if I like the Circei we got. :-)

I'm surprised too, for Tyrion. I thought the actor much younger. Whatever, he's really gifted and Tyrion is a character that I really like.

[queenofthorns.livejournal.com]

why not choose Diane Kruger, who already played Helen of Troy?

Because she's a lousy actress? I'd rather they got really fantastic actors than people who fit the physical descriptions of the characters in every way. Anyway, Lena Headey is remarkably beautiful so obviously it's just q question of personal taste.

Plus, there's the financial aspect!

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

I rather have both. I am sure there are some actresses that are better looking than Lena (and are blond - Lena's dark brows look odd with the blond wig) but can act as well. I have a tiny suspicion that Cersei's softening is Lena's doing, so I don't like her acting , but this subjective.

Anyway, Lena Headey is remarkably beautiful so obviously it's just q question of personal taste.

She is an attractive woman, but not beautiful, and I think this is objective, not personal taste issue. She has the face that is not symmetrical, teeth that are not stright, nose that is not stright, etc. - these are objective measurements of beauty which would have been strictly "upheld" in the olden days.

Taake me right , I like her as actress. But she is older and doesn't fit physical description.

Plus, there's the financial aspect!

but this is supposed to be a very expensive series?

[queenofthorns.livejournal.com]

You don't think Lena Headey is beautiful but quite a lot of people (including me) disagree with you - how can this be "objective" and not your personal taste? I think Claudia Black is beautiful; lots of people think she has a horsey face. I think Diane Kruger is totally bland and forgettable looking, lots of people think she's gorgeous. There's no "objective" opinion about beautiful women (or men, but I guess the men get a bigger pass on their teeth and noses!)

If you really want to look at what medieval people considered beautiful go look at some Jan van Eyck Madonnas - I think you will agree that we would not see those as beautiful at all today - the high foreheads and buggy eyes are not a look that is popular right now. In Victorian times, having a little pursed mouth was considered beautiful (look at pictures of young Queen Victoria) - now, not so much. (Plus, a large part of beauty in Ye Olden Tymes involved having all your own teeth and no pockmarks.)

Why do you think that Cersei's "softening" is Lena's doing? We disagree both about the softening in general (I don't think she IS particularly softened) and about how Cersei is depicted in the books anyway - don't you think it's perfectly possible that the showrunners see her closer to the way that I do, than the way that you do? Do you think Sean Bean (who probably has more clout than Lena Headey in terms of this show) asked them to depict Ned as a pompous self-righteous prig? Probably not! And yet that's how he comes off to me on the show.

We've already discussed this ad nauseam probably but ... the tv show is just not going to match up to every individuals view of how things "really" are in the books.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

You see, I am a logic-brain person, and I tend to count everything and make statistics even when I don't notice. I have not seen any comments on Lena's Cersei's beauty, on average the consensus seems to be that she is good-looking, not the top beauty of the kingdom (in fact, this is nowhere mentioned in the show). I can do a poll if you want - I believe the numbers.

To tell the truth, I think Lena is better looking "normally" than she is in the show. The blond wig does not suit her.

and about how Cersei is depicted in the books anyway - don't you think it's perfectly possible that the showrunners see her closer to the way that I do, than the way that you do?

Yes, I think this is highly possible.

However I also think that the actors always bring their own interpretation, especially good ones as Lena. So this is why I think she is "responsible" too.

As to why I dislike the softening of Cersei's character so much - my main worry is that we will not get Jaime/Brienne. Cersei will become very popular (she already is) , she will be there for 3 seasons prior to Brienne's appearance. I know this is my selfish worry but I worry and begin to irrationally dislike EVERYTHING about Cersei (and I hated her to begin with). After all, Jaime/Brienne is my favourite pairing.

[queenofthorns.livejournal.com]

As to why I dislike the softening of Cersei's character so much - my main worry is that we will not get Jaime/Brienne. Cersei will become very popular (she already is) , she will be there for 3 seasons prior to Brienne's appearance.

Why do you think they would change something so fundamental to Jaime's story as Brienne? Also, she'll be in season 2, so it's not three seasons before she appears - Catelyn meets her when she's in Renly's guard at Bitterbridge, just before Renly dies. I don't think they intend to prolong that section of the story into the third season. They're not really softening Jaime either, just making him a little less one-dimensional, so they need some sort of catalyst/witness for Jaime's changes in Storm of Swords. Anyway, I will worry about that once we know that we HAVE a third season; I do not share your belief that it's inevitable. The ratings have to stay high, the DVD sales have to be large, and lots of people have to tune it at least for the premiere of Season 2 in order for this to happen.

And if you're worried that Cersei is so much more sympathetic than you imagine her to be, you should go read the perspective of the non-book readers on TWOP. No one is saying that she's a nice woman, everyone expects that she's a plotter (and that she poisoned Jon Arryn and probably murdered the black-haired baby she mentions herself) not to mention the affair with her twin brother. It's not as though anyone thinks she's the misunderstood heroine of the piece, if that is what you fear, although there is some sympathy for her being in married to Robert, a sympathy that I fully understand because I feel the same thing in the books. He's horrid.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

Well, I think it would be easy to portray Jaime's relationship with Brienne as friendship/pity/respect/whatever. It all depends on the way the accents are made (it is not as if they were kissing or anything - there is nothing tangible in the books to prove the romantic nature of their feelings for each other :D) and on the way Brienne is going to be cast. They can cast her as another Robert which will equal to "good bye any possible romantic feelings"

As to why would they change something so fundamental for Jaime?

First it is you and I who think the relationship with Brienne is fundamental for Jaime's charcater. I thought that it was fundamental for Sandor Clegane that he never told his story to anyone (apart from Sansa) , and I have even seen many people having the same views. But obviously, the creators of the show think differently (you , I think, agree with them but I have seen many people to disagree).

Second, there are different views on the relationship between Jaime and Brienne. I have seen different views on the story, mostly of the kind: she is in love with him, he respects her. Again, there is no saying as to what the creators of the show are thinking.

Thirdly, I do think Cersei's popularity will be an important factor in the creators' decisions as to whome they give more of the screentime..

So, although I know that there is a probability that my fears are unjustified, I still think there are some hints that may prove otherwise. We will see.

I am so sorry, I don't like TWOP. I generally find the forums to be very cut-throat and complaining (I know I complain much too, but here you go :D). I am trying to find more GoT communities on LJ, but I don't see to many. I might look on Dreamwidth.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

Yes, my gran was married when she was very young (13, I think) and this was what they did in 1920s Russian villages. I agree with you on Dany, Sansa, etc - it would have been disturbing to see really young girls in their roles (considering what they are going through).

Circei as the most beautiful woman in the whole 7 kingdoms? Okay, Lena Headey is gorgeous but, then, why not choose Diane Kruger, who already played Helen of Troy? Even if I like the Circei we got. :-)

I am not sure if she is the MOST beautiful, but she is one of the "top beauties", so to speak. And so is Jaime - there are passages in the book calling him god-like (Well, I like the show's Jaime, but there is nothing god-like about him ;D).

I am very "visual" and because of it I do find that the discrepancies between the physical appearances of the actors and the description of the character in the book quite distracting.

Love Tyrion. Love Love Love him. I have always loved him in the book, but in the show he is quickly shaping into the character that I am watching the series for. I always need a character that gets under my skin in any type of fiction, otherwise my attention lags.

[maryxmas.livejournal.com]

we also found the age shift in the series quite disturbing.
Catelyn looks so old as if she were in her fifties.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

Yes, Cat is one of thes castings that I also find to be really REALLY much older than I thought.

But count me surprised with Tyrion. I thought the actor is much much younger. Love him. :D

[maryxmas.livejournal.com]

I am totally with you on that -- Tyrion is gorgeous.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

I find myself attracted to him, as in proper attracted way.

[embitca.livejournal.com]

If you find him attractive here, you should check out the series Threshold. His character is a mathematician and linguist, but he is much like Tyrion.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

I certainly will try this!. He is quickly shaping into my most favourite charcater in GoT (I liked him in books, but not as much).

[langoustes.livejournal.com]

Me too! I get all excited when he's in a scene.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

me too! Now I can't wait for season 3. I don't know how spoiled you are, I will not spoil you - let's just say his character has really interesting things coming.

[langoustes.livejournal.com]

I'm only really spoiled for the first and second book. I'm trying hard not to spoil myself anymore!

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

I am trying to keep my journal as spolier-free as I can, which is hard to do when discussing somethings.

[endlessdeep.livejournal.com]

The ages of the characters and actors don't bother me.

The actor who plays Jon Snow looks like a baby boy compared to the actor who plays Robb Stark. I would have never thought they were the same age in real life.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

The actor who plays Jon Snow looks like a baby boy compared to the actor who plays Robb Stark. I would have never thought they were the same age in real life.

I thought the same! Jon does look like a dump 17-year old at times.

Tyrion surprised me, though. I thought he is much much younger.

[langoustes.livejournal.com]

Jon has a baby face. I think he actually looks more like he's the age he is playing vs the actor who plays Robb (his face is really chiseled...almost gaunt...and it makes him look a lot older).

[embitca.livejournal.com]

I'm glad they aged up the younger characters. I always found the quoted ages for them in the books to be absurd and unbelievable.

[langoustes.livejournal.com]

I agree. Sometimes they say stuff that no 7-10 year old would ever say. They make these mature decisions that really don't make sense if you think about it.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

This happens sometimes. but I think in Bran's case , the stuff he did and said (even before the fall) is something a 6-7-8 year old would say, looks a bit strange when 11 year old does it.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

It works in the content of "them olden days", which books try to achieve. my gran was married at 13, for example, 12-14 was considered a right age to get married in Russian villages in 1910-1920s.

But I agree that translating this to the screen 100% would make the story really creepy.

[seasight.livejournal.com]

Baelish is "not yet thirty"- I think it worked out to something like 28/29 when I did the math in my head (based off of when Catelyn got married/had Robb). Does that help?

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! This is very helpful! And Yes, this sounds about right. Catelyn was 34 and the way I imagined it Baelish was 5-6 years younger than her. Lol, this aging they did to everyone in the show - it puts totally different accents on the story.