Game of Thrones is one of the biggest shows on television, and many of the actors have become household names thanks to their roles in the series. Unfortunately, Thrones' habit of killing off big characters means that some performers won't be around for the long run. One actor is actually glad that his character's time was violently cut short. Alexander Siddig, who played Dornish leader Doran Martell up until the Sand Snakes' coup in the beginning of Season 6. The actor had this to say about being killed off Game of Thrones:
I know that, from an actor's point of view, professionally you don't want to be on a show like that for too long, unless you are one of the top leads who originated the show, because your schedule gets kind of messed up. You don't earn as much as you would if you were doing another show, because they're Game of Thrones, and they don't have to pay anyone. So it's kind of a blessing in disguise.
Most smaller actors probably don't need much incentive to join Game of Thrones, all things considered. Thrones is a huge show that can give exposure and prestige to any performer who shows up, no matter what the role. Alexander Siddig, however, is not an actor just starting off in showbiz who needs Game of Thrones cred for his resume. Considering that he nabbed characters in the show Peaky Blinders and the upcoming miniseries The Kennedys: After Camelot in the wake of Doran's death, his career certainly hasn't suffered for his departure from Thrones. Siddig's reveal to Startrek.com proves that there are some perks that comes with being killed off of Game of Thrones.
Alexander Siddig hasn't been shy about sharing his thoughts on Thrones. He recently came out and accused HBO of deliberately leaking its own episodes to create buzz. The leaks have definitely made big headlines, so it's not entirely outside the realm of possibility that Siddig is correct and someone involved did deliberately leak episodes. It was surprising to hear somebody associated with the show be so candid about the network, but it's not like Siddig will be written back onto Game of Thrones anytime soon. Doran probably won't be coming back as a White Walker, and it's unlikely that he'll get a Jon Snow-esque resurrection.
Prince Doran's death came as something as a surprise in the Season 6 premiere. Game of Thrones hasn't done a whole lot with Dorne over the years, but Doran felt like a player who could be around for a while. The character is still alive and plotting in George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire book series, so even readers didn't know that the big death was coming now that the show has outpaced the source material. We didn't see as much of Alexander Siddig as Doran Martell as we might have hoped, but as far as I'm concerned, he was a highlight of the Dornish plot during his time on screen.
Check out our breakdown of what we know so far about Game of Thrones Season 7 for a peek ahead, and don't forget to take a look at our fall TV premiere schedule.
