Game Of Thrones Almost Scored A Rock Legend For A Big Cameo
For eight riveting seasons, "Game of Thrones" reigned supreme as one of the most popular HBO shows of all time. It was an unprecedented experience for long-time fantasy lovers and newcomers to the genre alike, and despite coming to what many viewers considered an underwhelming finale, the show was wildly successful and accumulated a devout fanbase over the course of nine years (via Time).
During its time on the air, "Thrones" constructed a plethora of remarkable characters whose emotional layers and complex story arches were perhaps its most captivating spectacle. Sure, watching dragons burn down cities and undead armies ravage everything in their path really is something to behold, but those unexpected friendships and rivalries that bloomed between characters we loved and hated with equal vigor was pretty cool too. Regardless of how the show ended, there's little argument over how effective the casting was. In fact, the crew almost welcomed one of rock n' roll's own kings into its realm at one point in time, according to Screen Rant.
Showrunners asked Robert Plant to be on Game of Thrones
Apparently, the Battle of the Blackwater orchestrators wanted the mastermind behind The Battle of Evermore within their ranks at one point. That's right — Mr. Robert Plant himself was asked to join the Game of Thrones cast. Granted, it was only a small cameo that they wanted him for, so the Led Zeppelin frontman didn't stand to become the third piece of a Jon Snow/Daenerys Targaryen love triangle, and certainly wasn't asked to slay The Mountain in a one-on-one fight to the death (per Led Zeppelin News).
It really does make sense, if you think about it. Plant used to sing about the darkest depths of Mordor, grand odysseys across vast plains, vikings, and ethereal worlds beyond our own dimension. All the same, he unfortunately didn't share the same enthusiasm for a prospective Thrones guest spot as the show's production team did. After he was asked to appear in an episode, Plant turned the offer down promptly (per Screen Rant).
Robert Plant didn't want to be typecast
In a 2018 interview with George Stroumboulopoulos (The Strombo Show), Robert Plant revealed that he had been invited to step in front of the camera for a single scene on Game of Thrones. Strumbo inquired as to whether or not his guest was a fellow GoT fan, and after stating that he was not, Plant told his host that he was in fact contacted by the casting team, but that he had no intention of obliging the offer.
"I don't want to be typecast! I mean I started that s***!" The English singer explained. Plant felt that his own personal appreciation for European history, all things Tolkien, and medieval ages long dead were enough to fulfill those fantastical daydreams residing in his heart without having to indulge a TV series exploring the concept. "I thought that I was gonna ride a horse and go [poses] I haven't got time to grow the beard really, so no," he went on (via Led Zeppelin News).
Game of Thrones had other major musician cameos
So no, Westeros never got to host Robert Plant in any of its great halls, but Game of Thrones was still well known for its keenly-placed musical cameos. Fans will never forget watching Joffrey Baratheon meet his grisly fate at his own wedding, but did you know that Icelandic folk group Sigur Rós was there as well? According to CNET, the trio appears just moments before the scene's harrowing finale as they sullenly perform "The Rains of Castamere" for the king's wedding guests.
Coldplay drummer Will Champion also appeared as part of a musical wedding troupe during the iconically traumatic Red Wedding sequence from season three. In season five, heavy metal giants Mastodon stood upon the shores of Hardhome as wights amongst the slack jawed army of the dead (they appeared again at the end of season seven in like fashion). Gary Lightbody of Snow Patrol captained an entourage of Bolton soldiers trudging through the woods on horseback in season three. And of course, fans remember when Ed Sheeran appeared on screen as a Lannister soldier in season seven (per Insider).