‘Game of Thrones’ season 4: Michael Huisman on playing ‘new’ Daario
When we first heard that Daario was going to be recast for “Game of Thrones” season 4, we were surprised. After all, this is a pretty significant character in the story, and while the show has brought on new actors for familiar roles (they’ve even done it this season for Tommen Lannister), it is not typically for someone that has been featured this prominently.
So what did the actor behind the new version of the character have to say about all this? Speaking to the Daily Beast, Michael Huisman discussed taking over the part, and actually did not know at the time of his audition that he was going in to replace Ed Skrein:
“Initially when I was asked to audition for the show, it wasn’t clear what character it was for. I thought, ‘This really resembles this other character that’s already there.’ It wasn’t until later in the process that I realized that it was actually Daario. But they really allowed me to reinvent it. They told me to keep in mind what the character had gone through, and the backstory, but then just take it from there and give it my own interpretation, which is great, because it would be hard to replicate what someone else had done. The writers and producers were hoping that, although we’d already seen Daario a couple of times, the audience would forgive the change and accept me as Daario from now on.”
Huisman also let it slip that he is excited to go back and work with Emilia Clarke more on season 5, which has to be a pretty clear indicator that he is one of the people who will not bite the dust this season. As for whether or not Daario and Danaerys will get together, we’re not ruling it out. But we cannot see it being that easy for him, given that there is probably still a part of her that still has Drogo in her heart.
Love the new Daario, or do you miss the old one? We want to hear your thoughts one way or the other below! Also, click here to get a preview for Sunday night’s “Oathkeeper,” or here if you’re interested in further updates from our CarterMatt Newsletter.
Photo: HBO