Liam Cunningham initially had his eyes set on a different role in Game of Thrones. The actor revealed in a recent interview that he did not audition for Ser Davos Seaworth in the first season of the HBO series.
Cunningham recalled his audition and his initial reaction when he learned what Game of Thrones was about in an interview with GQ. The 56-year-old actor revealed that he immediately jumped at the opportunity to star in the show when he learned that the series involves dragons.
"They contacted me and said, 'It's dragons.' And I said, 'Stop right there.' And they said, 'It's HBO.' And I said, 'Send me the script,'" Cunningham said.
The Irish stage and screen actor recalled that the hair at the back of his neck stood up when he read the script. The script must have been so enticing that Cunningham outright asked his agent to get him in the show immediately.
However, Cunningham had a different role in mind when he auditioned for Game of Thrones. He did not land the part but received the assurance of a call back once they find a perfect character for him in the series.
"They said the old thing: 'We're going to go another way. But: We've got more characters coming in Season Two, and we want to see you.' And I went, 'Yeah, yeah. This is Hollywood letting me down politely," Cunningham added in his interview with the publication.
True to their word, he received a callback. Cunningham refused to reveal the name of the character he auditioned for in Game of Thrones, saying that it would not be fair to the other actor.
However, speculations point to the role of Stannis Baratheon, played by actor Stephen Dillane, whom Cunningham has grown fond of. He openly spoke of his affection for the actor in his interview and admitted that he misses Dillane (Stannis died in Season 5 of Game of Thrones).
Talking further about Game of Thrones, Cunningham hoped for his character, Ser Davos Seaworth, to finally meet the villain Cersei Lannister. The series has gone by with seven seasons and the pair has yet to meet face-to-face. Cunningham added that he would love for Davos to be stuck in a room with Cersei and she would ask, "Who the f*ck are you?"
Cunningham also talked about the end Game of Thrones, saying that it would definitely be an emotional farewell for everyone. He referred to his time spent with Kit Harington, who plays Jon Snow, and said that they have both been preparing themselves for that moment.
