The Game Of Thrones casting train keeps rolling along, adding new actors just as fast as the show can kill off characters played by the old ones. The show might just be stockpiling actors at this point, locking them down and then putting them in a green room with a coffee machine and some crullers on the off chance additional deaths require new actors. Because sure, we know Freddie Stroma signed on to play Samwell’s brother Dickon, and Pilou Asbæk will take the role of Euron Greyjoy. But Ian McShane’s job isn’t even specified yet, and Max von Sydow is just playing a damn raven (okay, it has three eyes, but still).
Now, Variety reports Richard E. Grant has been cast on season six of Game Of Thrones as well. And sure enough, it’s not clear what role he’s playing yet, or if he’ll just be going in a glass frame, with a small hammer attached and a sign saying, “Break in case of character death.” Of course, having played the titular character in Withnail & I, Grant has lots of experience playing an actor just lazing around, so doing it in real life shouldn’t be a problem. And if he ends up actually appearing on the show, that role also prepared him for imbibing the massive amounts of booze necessary to hang around with Tyrion. So, win-win.