Even behind the scenes, it looks like there are some heavy power play involved in the casting process of "Game of Thrones."
English actor Ed Skrein, 32 who used to play Daenerys Targaryen's potential love interest Daario Naharis in season three was mysteriously replaced by Dutch actor Michiel Huisman, 34 in season four, and everybody assumed it was because the former landed a role in "The Transporter Refueled," which is the fourth film in the action thriller franchise. In it, he will play a younger version of Jason Statham's character Frank Martin.
But Skrein is clarifying that it was not the case.
"That's what been reported in the press but it was a lot more political than that," he told Entertainment Weekly. "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," he continued. "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."
He echoed the same comments during an interview with TooFab, and stressed that he did not "walk away" from "Game of Thrones" like some people are assuming.
"This is a complicated industry and there's always politics involved," he said. "I never really look back. My journey has been unorthodox in many ways. All I do is count my blessings and try to be as present as I can and I'm thankful for every step of this journey."
Then earlier last month, he gushed about the long-running series and said that given the chance, he would still be working with the show. But other factors have already come into play the made him unable to do so.
"In a lot of ways, I would have loved to have carried on and stayed working on that, because it's a fantastic TV series," he told Digital Spy. "It's an incredible crew that I worked with."
"I've made a lifelong friend in Jacob Anderson, who plays Greyworm," he added. "But the most important thing in my life is my family, so each project is important but only to a point."
For its part, HBO did not make any comments with regards to the recasting of Daario.
