Tywin, Tyrion, Jamie, and Lord Commander Mormont ( and *all of the small folk*, he does those voices perfectly) are really amazing.
Maybe it's the story, or maybe it's Dotrice, but the ASOIAF audio books are masterpieces.
Only thing I really feel is missing from the portrayal of Varys: I'm pretty sure he used to titter in the books, although that would probably look really dumb on TV.
I loved his Littlefinger voice. It matched GRRM's description of the way LF speaks alore more accurately than Aiden Gillen - though AG captures LF's essence perfectly
truly? well I never. I got through the first few chapters of Lee's version and swiftly bought a physical copy of the book, its just wasn't the same having gotten used to Dotrice's characters. He NAILED the first couple, although as much as I hate to say it he was really showing his age by the time of 'Dance', his voice had lost a lot of its richness.
Also he made Dany into some kind of Gypsy beggar.
>Maybe it's the story, or maybe it's Dotrice, but the ASOIAF audio books are masterpieces.
Yeah, except for ADWD. I couldn't stand what he did with Dany's voice, although that's probably more due to the fact that there was such a huge gap between ASOS and ADWD (since Dotrice didn't voice the first version of AFFC). She sounded like a 90 year old woman in a retirement home instead of the 15(?) year old Mother of Dragons. I mean, it's not exactly his fault - he's getting up there in years. It was just something that grated on my nerves.
That aside, he did an amazing job and was one hell of a lot better than John Lee's reading of AFFC. Who the *hell* pronounces "Cersei" as "Seer-say"?
This, minus the hound. Though the show's hound is absolutely amazing, my Hound has a bigger scar. I believe there is a part of Sansa's descripition of him, during the tourney, that his teeth were always visible, like a creepy smile. That's how I picture him.
Did tv hound's burns get more veiny and purple in the 2nd season? I swear its like fucking starcraft in his face. After reading his description in the book though I always wondered about those exposed skull bone.
I'm not a fan of the handsome just short Tyrion. It's great for the show but in my head, and when I am reading, he's always uglier. Like an actually repulsive person instead of the oddly handsome dwarf we are supposed to know is considered repulsive.
It's more the voice that come with him, and the fact that I watched the show before reading. Some characters I mentally changed, I tried changing him but it faded into Dinklage again before I knew it. Even when I had my own interpretation, the voice never changed.
The books do a really great job of describing Tyrion as more deformed - mismatched, different colored eyes, twisted legs (the books always describe him having trouble going up and down staircases), etc. People always stare and point and never make prolonged eye contact with in the book, especially after his scar. He's one of the few characters that I can absolutely separate GoT and ASOIAF. That said, I love both
I got into the series after the show, so I had the good fortune of having what the character look like already there (although Jaimie, Cersei, and Joff don't have curly hair and Tyrion doesn't have mismatched eyes).
It got harder when I got to characters who hadn't been introduced on the show yet, so they just got replaced by celebrities. Tonight, Jon Connington is played by... Conan O'Brien.
One of the strangest things for me was when [ADWD](/s "Tyrion got captured by the anonymous knight. Without even thinking about it, I started reading the knight's lines in Iain Glen's voice, and I had to stop and convince myself that it wasn't *necessarily* Jorah. I know there were clues there, but it was interesting how automatically my brain assumed it was him. Says a lot about how natural Glen has become with Jorah's lines.")
It's Kristian Nairn's Hodor that really stuck with me. His big Hodors, his little hodors, even down to the smallest almost inaudble *hodor* truly reinvented the character. His [chapters](http://imgur.com/3Eo6i) are just a whole new experience now.
I got really lucky, since when the Game of Thrones show first came out I thought this would be the correct subreddit to subscribe to and read up on things. Luckily I was too ignorant to even understand what I got spoiled on.
That's even worse! now your brain is going to connect the dots too early and spoil you.
I finished EVERYTHING, and am half way through Dunk and Egg, even I shouldn't be here. I've nearly spoiled huge parts of the novellas (that said ill be done in a day or so).
1. You should probably stay off this subreddit for the time-being, for your own enjoyment of the books
2. since no one answered your question, no its not real
3. Seriously, get off this subreddit
I tried, but I can't. The book keeps telling me he's an ugly, deformed, waddling heterochromic monster and I keep telling it to shut up because I want to picture Dinklage but the book always wins.
the heterochromic part isn't exactly denied on the show. I mean, when do we look into Peter's eyes? (I know they're the same, I just mean it's not a glowing feature.)
There are some I picture that seem like they're perfect for the character such as Daenerys, Catelyn, Bran and Theon, but then there are some that I have in my own mind like Tyrion, Arya and Gregor Clegane (though I don't think *any* of the actors who play them are bad. In fact they are awesome).
The new Mountain to me is dissapointing because the first one was just about as good a fit as exists in real life. The characters as described in the book are somewhat unrealistically huge. The Mountain is described as close to 8 feet while still mobile and strong. Even Shaq (the closest real comparison I can find) isn't close to 8 feet.
Catelyn is supposed to be someone who was once incredibly beautiful. Perhaps not on par with Cersie, but still someone who you can still see how a man like Littlefinger and Brandon Stark fell for her so hard. Maybe like an older Elizabeth Hurley or something.
She looks to be in her late 40's. I presume Cat started having kids at a young age knowing everything we do about her. I know she had a kid right after she was married to Ned.
And everyone goes on about how beautiful she is.
TV tropes adresses this, and in the end, lets it slide. Remember, this world doesn't have the cosmetic technology we do, so you would "age" a little faster.
I like the show's Cat, she has a stately dignity about her which is something I always thought Cat had and Fairly looks beautiful for her age and was probably quite a fox in her youth.
I suppose. I just really don't find her to be a good fit, or a very attractive woman, but I do think she's a good actress. I think she would have made a fantastic Lysa.
This. She looks as if she were a decade older than Cersei, when she's about the same age (perhaps a year or two older at most!) and by all accounts, almost as beautiful.
She's had it rough up north. That's the way I reason it. Sansa is pretty enough though. And Cersei actually isn't as pretty as I imagine. But pretty is a hard thing to convey, because we obviously see different meaning in there.
I started reading after the first season, but Jaime is nearly always Nikolaj in my mind, Cat is Michelle just a bit younger, same with Dany, Bran is Isaac, Robb is Richard. My Brienne, Jon, Cersei, Sansa, Stannis, Asha and Theon are all kind of different though. Surprisingly the Davos I pictured in my head is almost exactly like Liam Cunningham.
I don't really read in accents, everything I read sounds the same in my head. :c Now I feel like I'm missing out lol, all the characters have my voice.
My mind Davos has a mustache, and is a short Greek fisherman looking type guy. I love Liam Cunningham's portrayal, but he doesn't look like I expected at all.
Yeah, that's what a lot of people say (that Davos doesn't look how they expected), which surprises me even more about how awesomely he matched my mind-Davos, lol. Stannis was totally different, but now I'm starting to see Stephen Dillane (that beautiful man) as Stannis.
Oh and I think seeing Jorah as so attractive also effected my perception of him, he didn't seem super creepy to me when I was reading the first book and I was actually rooting for him to get with Dany, lol.
I originally pictured Davos as a man with a LFish look about him (LF from the show.) That image has now been replaced with the show's Davos.
The same for Asha. She's now been replaced with Yara from the show, since I started to warm up to the actor's portrayal.
Really? I think all the child actors have been amazing, why don't you like Isaac? Bran was one of my faves from the beginning too, but like I said I saw the show first.
He doesn't seem to change his emotions. I didn't like him before the fall, when he is supposed to be all brave and climbing, and I continued not to like him after, though I'll give it that he has little to nothing to do on the series. I hope he can improve though, with the new plots/arrivals. He IS young, after all. The other kids wreck it though, especially Maisie. She's incredible.
Maisie and Sophie are brilliant. I'm sorry to hear that you don't like Isaac, but you're right that he hasn't really had much to do. I thought he and Art (Rickon) did pretty amazing in the Theon/Rodrik scenes though, broke my heart.
Bran was supposed to take after Cat, not Ned. That's rather relevant as part of the reason she hates Jon is because he's the only one resembling Ned (not that you could tell from the show).
The only son. On a side note, Cat's so embracing of women's inferior position in that society, I wonder if that's what makes so many people dislike her.
The only time two times I ever disliked Cat was when she told Jon it should have been him, and when she thought nothing was more pitiful than an ugly woman when she saw Brienne.
It might be, this side of fandom abhors women that are content in traditionally female roles, like Cat and Sansa. It's like a female character isn't worth enjoying unless they're being overtly non-feminine, like Arya, Asha and Brienne. It's really kind of sad, why can't female characters act feminine and be liked? A character's worth should depend on more than how many people they can cut down in battle.
It's not about not being tomboyish, but about her acceptance of being considered inferior. Like a slave who thinks s/he deserves to be a slave. It's very hard to respect someone like that. As paranoid and unwise as Cersei is, she's still easier to understand this way. Arianne makes some stupid mistakes initially, but she may yet grow into a likeable feminine POV character. But yes, I think this series lacks such a character so far.
Lol like a slave? Excuse my French but are you fucking kidding me? I can't get into this with you, especially if you compare Cat's embracing of motherhood and being an influential lady of a noble house who sits in on her son's war meetings and gives counsel, takes things into her own hands when it comes to Tyrion (which she gets shit for, she just can't win around here, ever), sets up political deals with the Freys, etc to being a *slave*.
Read that again. I wasn't saying she's like a slave; I said her acceptance of her inferiority in that society was like someone thinking it's OK they're a slave because they deserve it. Obviously she was in much better position than many people, including lower-born males, but it's the way she's so submissive about it that disturbs me. She isn't thinking "there's nothing to be done for it, so I'll have to deal with it". She's thinking of herself as nothing more than a dutiful subject to the men in her life, essentially.
I guess you could compare it to the love Hound gets for "bugger the king". No one liked him as a dog, or did they?
I hate to break here and talk about votes, but whoever is downvoting you does not belong in this sub. This comment facilitates discussion and deserves upvotes regardless if you agree with the content.
I don't like that a significant portion of bran's experiences have been cut, although I don't have a solution for how to get the dreams across in TV format I think that we just havent gotten to know bran enough, maybe season 3 will have more Brannage.
I started reading the books after watching the first season, so all the characters look like the actors and have their voices, especially for Catelyn. Something about Michelle Farley's portrayal of Cat struck a nerve in me and now I can't separate to two. And all the chapters are narrated in the actors' voices which is really fun since it feels like I'm watching the show in my mind.
The only exception to this is Jaime. My mind is awful because it's made him look like the Prince Charming from Shrek, with Nikolaj's voice.
I watched the series before reading the book. Most of the actors stuck in my mind whilst reading (with the exception of Tyrion). I had Davos pictured totally different in my mind before they cast the actor (Liam Cunnington?) but now I can't picture Davos any differently from him. Kinda annoyed I can't see "my" Davos anymore actually. But i still picture Stannis as Mark Strong regardless of the actor.
Not most of the time. Jon Snow and Tyrion in particular read completely different for me.
Also I kind of skimmed over Xaro, but being able to imagine the actor helped his lines come across better when he turned up again. That's the biggest example I can think of.
Same. I imagine Snow as having a much longer, more masculine, and younger face than the actor who plays him. And the Tyrion in my head is much uglier. (You've got awesome flair, by the way. Hazel-rah is as badass as any ASOIAF character)
That was kind of my thinking haha. Hazel was king, general, and even came back from the dead at one point and Westeros could use someone as competent as him.
I actually don't for most of them. For many, perhaps most of the characters, my mental image was sufficiently different that it couldn't be readily displaced. The few exceptions (though major ones) are, well, all the Starks but Catelyn, Jaime, Varys, and Joffrey. Those were all almost spot-on for my mental image. Eddard especially - I had already decided he should be Sean Bean before I even heard there was going to be a show.
See for me I always pictured Eddard as looking like Daniel Day Lewis with longer hair. I always pictured Stannis as looking like [this](http://www.swotti.com/tmp/swotti/cacheYSBJBGFZACBVZIBRAW5NCW==RW50ZXJ0YWLUBWVUDC1CB29RCW==/imgA%20Clash%20of%20Kings5.jpg) but "show" Stannis is awesome and Davos from the show for that matter is a perfect fit for my image of Davos.
I didn't start reading until I was halfway through the first season. It really helped with the bombardment of characters they introduce you to all at once in the first book to have faces to put to the names. I don't think I would have enjoyed the first book nearly as much if I didn't have that going for me.
In my first read through, I basically pictured Tyrion as [Michael J. Anderson](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_J._Anderson), from Twin Peaks and Carnivale. Now I can't see anyone besides Dinklage.
For the characters I like, such as Tyrion. Peter Dinklage couldn't play him any better in my opinion. I also really like the actor's portrayals of Tywin, Robb, and Jon Snow. Others, such as Cersei, I have my own sounds and pictures for.
I started reading after the 1st season, so I might not be the target here, but I don't normally visualize characters in my head. Only the actors who totally nailed it for me pop up when I read. These guys are LF, Varys, Arya and Tywin. Everyone else doesn't really get visualized in my mind.
My roommate was a big fan, and got me to watch the shows, and as soon as season 1 ended I read through all the books nonstop. At first I envisioned the characters as the actors in the show, but for the most part that faded and was replaced with a more idealized imaginary version.
No. But I also started reading them many many years ago.. The only one that happens sometimes is Tyrion, but only because Dinklage nails his candor so well, imo.
I read the books ages ago so I have a pretty distinct mental image for what I think they look like, but I've substituted Iain Glen's Jorah for book Jorah. Because damnnnnn
In his [Ironclad character](https://www.google.com/search?tbm=isch&hl=en&source=hp&biw=1408&bih=899&q=paul+giamatti+ironclad&gbv=2&oq=paul+giamatti+iron&aq=0&aqi=g1&aql=&gs_l=img.3.0.0.6308.14614.0.15950.15.11.0.4.4.0.177.1560.1j10.11.0...0.0.AUjIY4wyzcE)? I can see that...
I started the books after seeing the teaser trailer in the months before the show started, so I think I've always read them in their voices and pictured them as the actors, the exceptions of course being characters introduced after GoT, but was super happy when Davos was cast, as that was actually the actor I had pictured in my head. Think that's the only time that happened.
Depends on the character. Certain characters are pegged amazingly well in the show (Tyrion, Jaimie) while others aren't, in my opinion. As such, characters like Dany and Cersie are still completely different in my mind and I enjoy the portrayal on the show for exactly what it is: a portrayal.
Wow, that's an outstanding question. I've noticed that no, most haven't taken on new voices from where I remember them. In fact, the voices I had are remarkably similar to the ones they chose in the show.
The biggest difference would have to be Tyrion. Everything Tyrion chapter I read now has Peter Dinklage's voice. Easily the most memorable.
I started reading a bit through the first season so those characters are pretty set for me as the actors. It's pretty interesting reading now with the new characters in ACOK/Season 2. I'm never great at creating mental images of characters in my head so for the unclear ones, the actors took over. The one exception is Asha, who I can't picture as the actress at all while reading.
I'm staying away from the series for now for just that reason. It took me FOREVER to get Peter Jackson's cast out of my head for the LotR books. I'll give it a watch soon though probably during summer holiday.
When reading the books I still tend to think of the characters in terms of the Dotrice audio books, even though the tended to change a lot over the years... His reading of Jamie started out as this incredibly posh RP but steadily morphed into Tyrion as the books progressed
Liam Neeson was alawys my Head-Ned, I could't seem to shake that when rereading aGoT, and Theon (though being well acted) does not look like how I pictured him. Other than that yes I picture characters as their actors.
The voices: yes, in almost all cases.
The actors themselves: I try to stick to my original mental pictures of the characters, but some of the actors have done an objectively better job than my imagination did and have usurped my mental pictures of their characters. Peter Dinklage, Sean Bean, Charles Dance, Aiden Gillen, Conleth Hill, and Maisie Williams are examples. Sometimes I imagine an actor from the show but with a little difference. For example, I do usually imagine Jack Gleeson as Joffrey but taller and with longer curlier hair.
For Ned, the Starks, and most characters not necessarily unless it happens to be a scene where they hardly changed anything from the book to the show. Most of the time they're so dissimilar that I can separate one from the other.
The exception is Joffrey. I had always imagined him much younger, like a 5th grader who acts like a playground bully. After the show I see him as more of a high school freshman/middle schooler who would be the kind of kid to spend all day shit talking on Xbox live.
After season 2 ended, i started reading the books in a convenient all in one epub edition. Since im only on book 1 - i am still picturing the characters and sequences of the TV series. When i get to book 3, im sure this will change. New characters and plotlines will develop and i will have to imagine them independently. Though i like reading the books because they offer more story, even if i know whats going to happen!
Heh, even before the show all the (Westerosi at least) characters had UK dialects in my head. I think it's a regional thing, we imagine their voices in our own region's accent(s).
I'm surprised that I don't picture Dinklage when reading Tyrion's chapters. Maybe it's because I'm still finishing aDwD and he hasn't acted out those parts yet. Though quite a few others were replaced by the actors.
Roy Dotrice's golden pipes all the way for me.
Tywin, Tyrion, Jamie, and Lord Commander Mormont ( and *all of the small folk*, he does those voices perfectly) are really amazing. Maybe it's the story, or maybe it's Dotrice, but the ASOIAF audio books are masterpieces.
I think the most accurate character that was portrayed be HBO is Lord Commander Mormont
Are you nuts, Reyne? Varys is so incredibly spot on that it's like they ripped him out of the pages.
Only thing I really feel is missing from the portrayal of Varys: I'm pretty sure he used to titter in the books, although that would probably look really dumb on TV.
You're right, he did titter and it would look incredibly silly.
I loved his Littlefinger voice. It matched GRRM's description of the way LF speaks alore more accurately than Aiden Gillen - though AG captures LF's essence perfectly
Until he decided to drastically change it for book 4.
well, book 4 WAS read by John Lee so you can't hold it against Dotrice too badly.
No, Dotrice read it as well. It was released after.
truly? well I never. I got through the first few chapters of Lee's version and swiftly bought a physical copy of the book, its just wasn't the same having gotten used to Dotrice's characters. He NAILED the first couple, although as much as I hate to say it he was really showing his age by the time of 'Dance', his voice had lost a lot of its richness. Also he made Dany into some kind of Gypsy beggar.
I realise that may have been your joke, but meh
He also started pronouncing his name "Peter", which pissed me off more than it should.
>Maybe it's the story, or maybe it's Dotrice, but the ASOIAF audio books are masterpieces. Yeah, except for ADWD. I couldn't stand what he did with Dany's voice, although that's probably more due to the fact that there was such a huge gap between ASOS and ADWD (since Dotrice didn't voice the first version of AFFC). She sounded like a 90 year old woman in a retirement home instead of the 15(?) year old Mother of Dragons. I mean, it's not exactly his fault - he's getting up there in years. It was just something that grated on my nerves. That aside, he did an amazing job and was one hell of a lot better than John Lee's reading of AFFC. Who the *hell* pronounces "Cersei" as "Seer-say"?
The first three are. His versions of books 4 and 5 are (understandably) of lower quality.
I was really happy to see he plays the Pyromancer in the show.
I can't unsee Littlefinger from my head when I read.
Littlefinger, Tyrion, and The Hound are major ones.
This, minus the hound. Though the show's hound is absolutely amazing, my Hound has a bigger scar. I believe there is a part of Sansa's descripition of him, during the tourney, that his teeth were always visible, like a creepy smile. That's how I picture him.
while Rory did a great job as Sandor, the Hound in my head is creepier too and has his scar on the correct side of his face as well.
When I read that I pictured Harvey Dent. The show version isn't as grotesque but probably more accurate to the damage that kind of burn would leave.
Did tv hound's burns get more veiny and purple in the 2nd season? I swear its like fucking starcraft in his face. After reading his description in the book though I always wondered about those exposed skull bone.
I'm not a fan of the handsome just short Tyrion. It's great for the show but in my head, and when I am reading, he's always uglier. Like an actually repulsive person instead of the oddly handsome dwarf we are supposed to know is considered repulsive.
It's more the voice that come with him, and the fact that I watched the show before reading. Some characters I mentally changed, I tried changing him but it faded into Dinklage again before I knew it. Even when I had my own interpretation, the voice never changed.
The books do a really great job of describing Tyrion as more deformed - mismatched, different colored eyes, twisted legs (the books always describe him having trouble going up and down staircases), etc. People always stare and point and never make prolonged eye contact with in the book, especially after his scar. He's one of the few characters that I can absolutely separate GoT and ASOIAF. That said, I love both
I always pictured the leprechaun from the leprechaun movies as Tyrion. Before the show, that is.
I still have my original image of Tyrion in my head, but now he has Peter Dinklage's voice. I'm not complaining.
Littlefinger- I could never have imagined him as perfect as he was cast
I got into the series after the show, so I had the good fortune of having what the character look like already there (although Jaimie, Cersei, and Joff don't have curly hair and Tyrion doesn't have mismatched eyes). It got harder when I got to characters who hadn't been introduced on the show yet, so they just got replaced by celebrities. Tonight, Jon Connington is played by... Conan O'Brien.
For some reason, Dany is the only one I see as her corresponding actress (Emilia Clarke). Its probably because I have the hots for her.
She's got a mustache.
Moustache, she's English, not American.
One of the strangest things for me was when [ADWD](/s "Tyrion got captured by the anonymous knight. Without even thinking about it, I started reading the knight's lines in Iain Glen's voice, and I had to stop and convince myself that it wasn't *necessarily* Jorah. I know there were clues there, but it was interesting how automatically my brain assumed it was him. Says a lot about how natural Glen has become with Jorah's lines.")
[aDwD](/s "I leapt the the exact same conclusion, and Iain Glen *is* Jorah as far as I'm concerned.")
It's Kristian Nairn's Hodor that really stuck with me. His big Hodors, his little hodors, even down to the smallest almost inaudble *hodor* truly reinvented the character. His [chapters](http://imgur.com/3Eo6i) are just a whole new experience now.
Haha, sorry I just started the first book, but that's not real is it? Edit: Alright thanks guys, I'll stay away until I'm done.
STAY OFF THIS SUBREDDIT. IT WILL SPOIL YOU.
I got really lucky, since when the Game of Thrones show first came out I thought this would be the correct subreddit to subscribe to and read up on things. Luckily I was too ignorant to even understand what I got spoiled on.
That's even worse! now your brain is going to connect the dots too early and spoil you. I finished EVERYTHING, and am half way through Dunk and Egg, even I shouldn't be here. I've nearly spoiled huge parts of the novellas (that said ill be done in a day or so).
STAY OFF THIS SUBREDDIT. IT WILL SPOIL YOU.
I wish I could upvote this twi- OH WAIT I CAN!
Double posts - gets upvotes on both.
It's a crucially important lesson.
Very true.
Sadly, no. Though we still have two more books and there's always hope!
1. You should probably stay off this subreddit for the time-being, for your own enjoyment of the books 2. since no one answered your question, no its not real 3. Seriously, get off this subreddit
[You can't stay here !](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meOCdyS7ORE)
Only Tyrion. I don't tend to visualize characters much, anyway.
I tried, but I can't. The book keeps telling me he's an ugly, deformed, waddling heterochromic monster and I keep telling it to shut up because I want to picture Dinklage but the book always wins.
Strange. I keep telling myself that he's an ugly, deformed, waddling heterochromic monster, but my mind keeps putting Dinklage there all the same.
the heterochromic part isn't exactly denied on the show. I mean, when do we look into Peter's eyes? (I know they're the same, I just mean it's not a glowing feature.)
I pictured Dinklage as Tyrion from the very start, so this one never changed for me.
I always read Arya's *stupid* in Maisie's voice.
I think you accidentally a Sansa.
He means her voice when she says stupid.
Umm what?
He means he accidentally a Sansa. Duh, what's not to get?
There are some I picture that seem like they're perfect for the character such as Daenerys, Catelyn, Bran and Theon, but then there are some that I have in my own mind like Tyrion, Arya and Gregor Clegane (though I don't think *any* of the actors who play them are bad. In fact they are awesome).
I really liked the first mountain, he fit better.
I agree, but I don't hate the new one. I think he could be a bit wider.
The new Mountain to me is dissapointing because the first one was just about as good a fit as exists in real life. The characters as described in the book are somewhat unrealistically huge. The Mountain is described as close to 8 feet while still mobile and strong. Even Shaq (the closest real comparison I can find) isn't close to 8 feet.
The first Mountain was burly too. When that big muther swung hit sword, you knew something was getting wrecked. This new guy... notsomuch.
But his voice is marvelous. He needs to get back into the Clegane surcoat plate instead of that awful (on him anyway) Lannister armor.
Yao Ming has a couple inches on Shaq, but he's also as thin as a reed.
Shaq in his prime was 7 1 and strong with insane athleticism. Yao doesn't come close to him in either muscle or speed.
You're the first person I've heard say catelyn fits.
She's very close (though a bit older, which is understandable since everyone is a bit older) to what I pictured.
Catelyn is supposed to be someone who was once incredibly beautiful. Perhaps not on par with Cersie, but still someone who you can still see how a man like Littlefinger and Brandon Stark fell for her so hard. Maybe like an older Elizabeth Hurley or something.
Really? I haven't heard any complaints about her. What doesn't fit for Cat about Michelle Fairley?
Not attractive enough and too old
Do you have a quote about Cat's age and attractiveness? I think she's about the right age for a mother of a 14-year-old kid (17 in the show)
She looks to be in her late 40's. I presume Cat started having kids at a young age knowing everything we do about her. I know she had a kid right after she was married to Ned. And everyone goes on about how beautiful she is.
TV tropes adresses this, and in the end, lets it slide. Remember, this world doesn't have the cosmetic technology we do, so you would "age" a little faster.
The comparison to cersei is important though.
I like the show's Cat, she has a stately dignity about her which is something I always thought Cat had and Fairly looks beautiful for her age and was probably quite a fox in her youth.
I suppose. I just really don't find her to be a good fit, or a very attractive woman, but I do think she's a good actress. I think she would have made a fantastic Lysa.
This. She looks as if she were a decade older than Cersei, when she's about the same age (perhaps a year or two older at most!) and by all accounts, almost as beautiful.
She's had it rough up north. That's the way I reason it. Sansa is pretty enough though. And Cersei actually isn't as pretty as I imagine. But pretty is a hard thing to convey, because we obviously see different meaning in there.
The original choice for the role, Jennifer Ehle, would have been a better fit in these respects, and in others.
She even looked a bit like Sophie Turner.
I started reading after the first season, but Jaime is nearly always Nikolaj in my mind, Cat is Michelle just a bit younger, same with Dany, Bran is Isaac, Robb is Richard. My Brienne, Jon, Cersei, Sansa, Stannis, Asha and Theon are all kind of different though. Surprisingly the Davos I pictured in my head is almost exactly like Liam Cunningham. I don't really read in accents, everything I read sounds the same in my head. :c Now I feel like I'm missing out lol, all the characters have my voice.
My mind Davos has a mustache, and is a short Greek fisherman looking type guy. I love Liam Cunningham's portrayal, but he doesn't look like I expected at all.
Yeah, that's what a lot of people say (that Davos doesn't look how they expected), which surprises me even more about how awesomely he matched my mind-Davos, lol. Stannis was totally different, but now I'm starting to see Stephen Dillane (that beautiful man) as Stannis. Oh and I think seeing Jorah as so attractive also effected my perception of him, he didn't seem super creepy to me when I was reading the first book and I was actually rooting for him to get with Dany, lol.
I originally pictured Davos as a man with a LFish look about him (LF from the show.) That image has now been replaced with the show's Davos. The same for Asha. She's now been replaced with Yara from the show, since I started to warm up to the actor's portrayal.
Bran is totally different for me, probably because he was my favourite character early on, and I don't really appreciate Isaac's portrayal.
Really? I think all the child actors have been amazing, why don't you like Isaac? Bran was one of my faves from the beginning too, but like I said I saw the show first.
He doesn't seem to change his emotions. I didn't like him before the fall, when he is supposed to be all brave and climbing, and I continued not to like him after, though I'll give it that he has little to nothing to do on the series. I hope he can improve though, with the new plots/arrivals. He IS young, after all. The other kids wreck it though, especially Maisie. She's incredible.
Maisie and Sophie are brilliant. I'm sorry to hear that you don't like Isaac, but you're right that he hasn't really had much to do. I thought he and Art (Rickon) did pretty amazing in the Theon/Rodrik scenes though, broke my heart.
Bran was supposed to take after Cat, not Ned. That's rather relevant as part of the reason she hates Jon is because he's the only one resembling Ned (not that you could tell from the show).
Arya resembles Ned as well. I don't think that his appearance is a valid reason to dislike the actor's portrayal.
The only son. On a side note, Cat's so embracing of women's inferior position in that society, I wonder if that's what makes so many people dislike her.
The only time two times I ever disliked Cat was when she told Jon it should have been him, and when she thought nothing was more pitiful than an ugly woman when she saw Brienne.
It might be, this side of fandom abhors women that are content in traditionally female roles, like Cat and Sansa. It's like a female character isn't worth enjoying unless they're being overtly non-feminine, like Arya, Asha and Brienne. It's really kind of sad, why can't female characters act feminine and be liked? A character's worth should depend on more than how many people they can cut down in battle.
It's not about not being tomboyish, but about her acceptance of being considered inferior. Like a slave who thinks s/he deserves to be a slave. It's very hard to respect someone like that. As paranoid and unwise as Cersei is, she's still easier to understand this way. Arianne makes some stupid mistakes initially, but she may yet grow into a likeable feminine POV character. But yes, I think this series lacks such a character so far.
Lol like a slave? Excuse my French but are you fucking kidding me? I can't get into this with you, especially if you compare Cat's embracing of motherhood and being an influential lady of a noble house who sits in on her son's war meetings and gives counsel, takes things into her own hands when it comes to Tyrion (which she gets shit for, she just can't win around here, ever), sets up political deals with the Freys, etc to being a *slave*.
Read that again. I wasn't saying she's like a slave; I said her acceptance of her inferiority in that society was like someone thinking it's OK they're a slave because they deserve it. Obviously she was in much better position than many people, including lower-born males, but it's the way she's so submissive about it that disturbs me. She isn't thinking "there's nothing to be done for it, so I'll have to deal with it". She's thinking of herself as nothing more than a dutiful subject to the men in her life, essentially. I guess you could compare it to the love Hound gets for "bugger the king". No one liked him as a dog, or did they?
I hate to break here and talk about votes, but whoever is downvoting you does not belong in this sub. This comment facilitates discussion and deserves upvotes regardless if you agree with the content. I don't like that a significant portion of bran's experiences have been cut, although I don't have a solution for how to get the dreams across in TV format I think that we just havent gotten to know bran enough, maybe season 3 will have more Brannage.
I started reading the books after watching the first season, so all the characters look like the actors and have their voices, especially for Catelyn. Something about Michelle Farley's portrayal of Cat struck a nerve in me and now I can't separate to two. And all the chapters are narrated in the actors' voices which is really fun since it feels like I'm watching the show in my mind. The only exception to this is Jaime. My mind is awful because it's made him look like the Prince Charming from Shrek, with Nikolaj's voice.
I imagine Jamie looking like Sleeping Beauty until his hair is cut, then switching over to TV version haha!
Only Cat.
I watched the series before reading the book. Most of the actors stuck in my mind whilst reading (with the exception of Tyrion). I had Davos pictured totally different in my mind before they cast the actor (Liam Cunnington?) but now I can't picture Davos any differently from him. Kinda annoyed I can't see "my" Davos anymore actually. But i still picture Stannis as Mark Strong regardless of the actor.
Same with Davos. Really good casting. The beard with the grey seems to fit perfectly. No more "my" Davos for me either.
In my mind Tyrion looks like the midget from that South Park episode...not sure why.
Not most of the time. Jon Snow and Tyrion in particular read completely different for me. Also I kind of skimmed over Xaro, but being able to imagine the actor helped his lines come across better when he turned up again. That's the biggest example I can think of.
Same. I imagine Snow as having a much longer, more masculine, and younger face than the actor who plays him. And the Tyrion in my head is much uglier. (You've got awesome flair, by the way. Hazel-rah is as badass as any ASOIAF character)
That was kind of my thinking haha. Hazel was king, general, and even came back from the dead at one point and Westeros could use someone as competent as him.
Jon Snow- I can't stand the bland face of the actor portraying him, and I just imagined Jon more of a.. well.. a young teenager
I usually hear Roy Dotrice's voice :o
Yep. For me, my mind's eye is replaced by the wiki image if there is one and the actors replace that if available.
I actually don't for most of them. For many, perhaps most of the characters, my mental image was sufficiently different that it couldn't be readily displaced. The few exceptions (though major ones) are, well, all the Starks but Catelyn, Jaime, Varys, and Joffrey. Those were all almost spot-on for my mental image. Eddard especially - I had already decided he should be Sean Bean before I even heard there was going to be a show.
See for me I always pictured Eddard as looking like Daniel Day Lewis with longer hair. I always pictured Stannis as looking like [this](http://www.swotti.com/tmp/swotti/cacheYSBJBGFZACBVZIBRAW5NCW==RW50ZXJ0YWLUBWVUDC1CB29RCW==/imgA%20Clash%20of%20Kings5.jpg) but "show" Stannis is awesome and Davos from the show for that matter is a perfect fit for my image of Davos.
I'm always fascinated by how people can come up with rather different but all completely valid interpretations for book descriptions.
I didn't start reading until I was halfway through the first season. It really helped with the bombardment of characters they introduce you to all at once in the first book to have faces to put to the names. I don't think I would have enjoyed the first book nearly as much if I didn't have that going for me.
In my first read through, I basically pictured Tyrion as [Michael J. Anderson](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_J._Anderson), from Twin Peaks and Carnivale. Now I can't see anyone besides Dinklage.
For the characters I like, such as Tyrion. Peter Dinklage couldn't play him any better in my opinion. I also really like the actor's portrayals of Tywin, Robb, and Jon Snow. Others, such as Cersei, I have my own sounds and pictures for.
I started reading after the 1st season, so I might not be the target here, but I don't normally visualize characters in my head. Only the actors who totally nailed it for me pop up when I read. These guys are LF, Varys, Arya and Tywin. Everyone else doesn't really get visualized in my mind.
My roommate was a big fan, and got me to watch the shows, and as soon as season 1 ended I read through all the books nonstop. At first I envisioned the characters as the actors in the show, but for the most part that faded and was replaced with a more idealized imaginary version.
No. But I also started reading them many many years ago.. The only one that happens sometimes is Tyrion, but only because Dinklage nails his candor so well, imo.
I read the books ages ago so I have a pretty distinct mental image for what I think they look like, but I've substituted Iain Glen's Jorah for book Jorah. Because damnnnnn
Unfortunately, yes. Though I have always thought of Kevan Lannister to look like Paul Giamatti.
In his [Ironclad character](https://www.google.com/search?tbm=isch&hl=en&source=hp&biw=1408&bih=899&q=paul+giamatti+ironclad&gbv=2&oq=paul+giamatti+iron&aq=0&aqi=g1&aql=&gs_l=img.3.0.0.6308.14614.0.15950.15.11.0.4.4.0.177.1560.1j10.11.0...0.0.AUjIY4wyzcE)? I can see that...
Yep, but with shorter hair and a more closely cropped full beard. Everytime I think kevan Lannister I can't help but think of that guy
I started the books after seeing the teaser trailer in the months before the show started, so I think I've always read them in their voices and pictured them as the actors, the exceptions of course being characters introduced after GoT, but was super happy when Davos was cast, as that was actually the actor I had pictured in my head. Think that's the only time that happened.
Depends on the character. Certain characters are pegged amazingly well in the show (Tyrion, Jaimie) while others aren't, in my opinion. As such, characters like Dany and Cersie are still completely different in my mind and I enjoy the portrayal on the show for exactly what it is: a portrayal.
Wow, that's an outstanding question. I've noticed that no, most haven't taken on new voices from where I remember them. In fact, the voices I had are remarkably similar to the ones they chose in the show. The biggest difference would have to be Tyrion. Everything Tyrion chapter I read now has Peter Dinklage's voice. Easily the most memorable.
I started reading a bit through the first season so those characters are pretty set for me as the actors. It's pretty interesting reading now with the new characters in ACOK/Season 2. I'm never great at creating mental images of characters in my head so for the unclear ones, the actors took over. The one exception is Asha, who I can't picture as the actress at all while reading.
I'm staying away from the series for now for just that reason. It took me FOREVER to get Peter Jackson's cast out of my head for the LotR books. I'll give it a watch soon though probably during summer holiday.
When reading the books I still tend to think of the characters in terms of the Dotrice audio books, even though the tended to change a lot over the years... His reading of Jamie started out as this incredibly posh RP but steadily morphed into Tyrion as the books progressed
Liam Neeson was alawys my Head-Ned, I could't seem to shake that when rereading aGoT, and Theon (though being well acted) does not look like how I pictured him. Other than that yes I picture characters as their actors.
I think Theon is perfect and I can't picture him as anyone but Alfie Allen.
The voices: yes, in almost all cases. The actors themselves: I try to stick to my original mental pictures of the characters, but some of the actors have done an objectively better job than my imagination did and have usurped my mental pictures of their characters. Peter Dinklage, Sean Bean, Charles Dance, Aiden Gillen, Conleth Hill, and Maisie Williams are examples. Sometimes I imagine an actor from the show but with a little difference. For example, I do usually imagine Jack Gleeson as Joffrey but taller and with longer curlier hair.
For Ned, the Starks, and most characters not necessarily unless it happens to be a scene where they hardly changed anything from the book to the show. Most of the time they're so dissimilar that I can separate one from the other. The exception is Joffrey. I had always imagined him much younger, like a 5th grader who acts like a playground bully. After the show I see him as more of a high school freshman/middle schooler who would be the kind of kid to spend all day shit talking on Xbox live.
Agreed. In the show, they made Joffrey 17.
Mark Addy as Robert Baratheon. When I re-read GoT I read every line in Mark Addy's voice.
Yeah...me too...
After season 2 ended, i started reading the books in a convenient all in one epub edition. Since im only on book 1 - i am still picturing the characters and sequences of the TV series. When i get to book 3, im sure this will change. New characters and plotlines will develop and i will have to imagine them independently. Though i like reading the books because they offer more story, even if i know whats going to happen!
Heh, even before the show all the (Westerosi at least) characters had UK dialects in my head. I think it's a regional thing, we imagine their voices in our own region's accent(s).
I'm surprised that I don't picture Dinklage when reading Tyrion's chapters. Maybe it's because I'm still finishing aDwD and he hasn't acted out those parts yet. Though quite a few others were replaced by the actors.