Filming of Game of Thrones is heading into its last month but thankfully, casting news is still popping up! The latest addition to the show helps fill out the Iron Islands cast for season seven.
According to his agency résumé, Australian actor Brendan Cowell has joined the cast of Game of Thrones for season seven. Cowell is known for appearing in works such as Brock, The Borgias, Love My Way, Life Support and the 2004 version of Salem’s Lot. He’s also a playwright and screenwriter, with several credits to his name.
So who is Cowell playing? According to the agency site, he’ll be taking on the role of Harrag the Ironborn. The character is most likely one original to the series, with Benioff and Weiss borrowing the name from a tertiary book character. We’ve actually already seen Harrag on the set, but we didn’t know it at the time. More on that after the cut, because spoilers!
The agency lists his Director as “Various,” which might mean the character appears in multiple episodes this year. A screenshot of the info:
Cowell took part in filming in Basque Country last fall. The Ironborn were seen shooting a landing in Zumaia, and then a few days later, a fight scene was shot on the shores. At the time of filming, it was unclear whether this scene was from the premiere or the finale (due to episode director Jeremy Podeswa‘s presence), but our sources have now confirmed that this scene is from the finale.
Last August, we saw a casting notice for a role we believe was for Harrag that may also shed some light on him. As we wrote then:
Warrior, in the 35 – 45 age range. The character is a tough-looking bruiser with the attack skills of a pit bull, and the actor needs to be great at fighting. He has a “considerable” amount of dialogue as well. It’s described as an “excellent part for a top-end actor.” Helpful clues in the description? We know it’s not a Dothraki character as the actor for the role is required to be white, and they’re asking for a neutral and non-posh English accent. This role is currently scheduled to shoot across October.
So that’s one more role checked off the list. Harrag is a member of the crew but a challenging one for Theon, at least in the finale!
Update: Our source further informs us Cowell’s character is set to appear in episodes 3, 4 and 7 of this season.
Tiny Hands Trump!
Yay more news! Kick his ass Theon!
The only casting news I’m interested in is for someone playing a certain blond character.
He has beautiful eyes. Too bad he’s an Ironborn 😛
I wonder why Theon is fighting in the last episode when
Could it be the death of someone close to him pushes him over the edge to gain revenge?
Sue,
Awesome! Loved his season 3 guest role in the Borgias. I am pretty certain B. Cowell is indeed playing the role of that ‘Warrior’. He and Alfie started following each other on Instagram early in October, weeks before the Zumaia beach filming, in Spain, presumably when they were filming scenes together in Northern Ireland/Belfast.
Thanks for the update, Sue. You are appreciated 🙂 We owe many thanks to WOTW for all the info it’s given us over the long wait for season 7. Thanks again.
Almost all enjoyment of this site and the usual off-season discussion of this show has been ruined by those goddamn leaks.
Ramsay’s 20th Good Man,
This post has nothing to do with the leaks, YOU are the one bringing them up. Don’t.
That time frame is what I was going to mention. What’s he doing between these two events? When Luka posted about Theon’s beach arrival he did add the question of where he was since the battle.
just WotW photo spoilers talk:
– Arriving and confronted by Jon at Dragonstone (ep. 4-5?)
– Part of the Dragonpit scene (ep. 7)
– Getting his ass kicked on a beach (ep. 7)
We haven’t heard or seen anything else have we?
I believe I was thinking the beach fight was post battle but prior to going to Dragonstone. I’m trying to make sense of him fighting Ironborn on a beach in the finale… I imagine it has to do with Yara but in what manner…
Rex,
He posted a picture of the Guggenheim Museum and Alfie commented
https://www.instagram.com/p/BMEsv7NgDWD/
🙂
Sue the Fury,
I was responding to the fact that somebody had already made un-spoilercoded comments on what “we know” will be happening next season.
I see that you have now covered those spoilers, but it’s already too late for me and anybody else who read that comment.
When the new season airs can you please, please insist that there is absolutely no reference to them at all outside of the forums, even under spoiler-coding.
As I said, they and the discussion of them have absolutely ruined this site over the last few months.
I added a bit more about Cowell’s episodes at the bottom of the post just now, FYI.
Ramsay’s 20th Good Man,
There’s not much more that can be done. The leaks are a reality, at some point you have to accept it. We tell people not to post them, they post them anyway. We tell them to cover them up, they post them uncovered. It’s human nature.
Sue the Fury,
Sue, do you by any chance happen to know if Ben Hawkey is part of Season 7?
Interesting to see that it is three episodes with “considerable” dialogue; not sure what they intend by “considerable”, but it does at least appear that the Ironborn plot arc will be prominent in season seven. I have to say, this wasn’t previously my favorite arc (Alfie’s amazing performance aside) but a combination of the beefing up of Yara’s role in season six and The Forsaken has changed that, and I am looking forward to that side of season seven. Also interested to see which of the Greyjoys Harrag will ultimately support – Theon, Yara or Euron.
corinnestark,
The best way to do that role is put a wig on kit and make him play the role.
At this point I don’t think he will appear and I don’t want him to appear at all.
Why I don’t want him to appear because there has been few references of him and zero scenes about dany being compared to him instead of her father ..
dragonbringer,
Just simply going by what has been said, what they’ve shown and how they’ve done it (Lyanna whispering) I would think it’s very likely that they do a Bran vision scene. I think it’s nearly 100% that at least one of the characters will find out the truth so that the viewers know. There ARE people that don’t know what the truth is. I lent my S6 box set to two different people, one has read the books. Neither of them were correct when I asked them. It is a very important piece in the entire story so I think it’s too big to simply cover it with dialogue alone.
There have been few references? I think he’s been mentioned more than enough times.
Daenerys was going to name her son Rhaego for her brother and did name Rhaegal in honor of him.
Daenerys has a couple of conversations with Barristan about him, including the rather good one about him disguising himself to play music in the streets. Called him the finest man he ever met.
Jorah tells Daenerys that Rhaegar was the last dragon when she mentions Viserys as such.
Littlefinger describes to Sansa the events of the tourney.
Like I said, I think it’s too big for them to just have someone say or read it. That wouldn’t give anyone any information what their true relationship was. With the belief that they were in love and it wasn’t a rape then we’re going to have be shown what they were like together.
Oh ffs, here we go again
Well known in Australia if not a household name. Excellent actor.
Yeah, I’ve had to walk more than a couple of people through it myself – there is enough information in seasons one through six for people to join the dots, but not all casual show watchers have picked up on everything. I tend to list off the evidence then ask who they think Jon’s father is. When all the evidence is placed in front of someone from a list, the wheels in their brain start working and they realize that all these little things they thought were unrelated actually have a lot to do with each other.
A Bran vision scene would make sense given that as well as confirming that Rhaegar is Jon’s father, I think they need to establish whether or not Lyanna went willingly. There is some ambiguity there already as both Bran and Sansa state categorically that Lyanna was kidnapped by Rhaegar, yet Oberyn – discussing his sister Elia and Rhaegar – says that “Rhaegar Targaryen left her for another woman”. There is no mention of abduction; rather, the implication is that Rhaegar left his wife to embark on a relationship with another woman.
I would really like to see Rhaegar on screen, but I would also understand if they wanted to keep him a mysterious figure that we never actually meet. Truth be told, the three historical characters I think are probably mentioned the most are Aerys, Lyanna and Rhaegar – and we met the first two of them in season six, so meeting the third in season seven or eight (hopefully seven!) wouldn’t be an impossibility.
I predict that Cersei will fill the Small Council with Breitbart writers.
Catspaw Assassin,
And she’d still be the least evil person in the room! *rimshot followed by a tumbleweed rolling by*
Mr Derp,
LOL (*￣､ゝ￣)
His quite good looking but I imagine as a Iron Borne they’ll rough up his appearance quite a bit
phantomcloud,
⬆️ This guy cracks me up ???
Sue the Fury,
Some people on reddit have ‘run away’ with your comment on the leaks and are phrasing it as ‘you’ are confirming that Lads leaks are legitimate.
Kathy,
Literally anything I post they take as confirmation of something. I don’t give a care anymore.
I hope that phantom guy is banned,he’s always negative about anything and he doesn’t even like the show or this site yet he is always here .
Just ignore certain commentators. Eventually they give up.
Alba Stark,
Yeah they need to clarify who the father is for casuals especially. Most viewers think it’s Ned (wtf), Robert or Aerys lol. I only know one person in real life who was able to piece together R+L=J by just watching the show and before the season 6 finale even revealed the mother (no theories, no hints from me, no books). I feel like he needs to be shown on the show to hammer the reveal in and like you said: to clarify if she went willingly.
Yeah, most people I come across who haven’t figured out R+L=J list Ned, Robert and Aerys as potential fathers for Jon. Um, no. Sorry! Usually I take them through various points in the show from seasons one through six and then ask them again. At that stage, things click into place. The reality is that many of the pieces of information they need to piece together (like Catelyn mentioning the duration of the war, for example – “you came back a year later”) occurred in season one, and many casual watchers don’t go back and re-watch previous seasons before a new one premieres.
As for establishing if Lyanna went willingly, I think that is something that needs to be done both for the viewer and for Jon. At the moment, it is most likely that either Bran or both Bran and Howland will tell Jon the truth about his parentage – as they seem to be the only ones with the relevant information (we cannot be sure if Benjen knows). Given that Jon has been brought up to believe that Lyanna was kidnapped and abused by Rhaegar, the truth should include whether or not this was the actual course of events. A vision is the best way for Bran to obtain this information, and for the viewer to see that Lyanna went willingly without simply having to take someone’s word for it. For that, I think the best two options are either showing her actual disappearance or – if they were married – to show the wedding ceremony. Alternatively, we could go back to the ToJ and see their parting when Rhaegar goes back north to gather his army for the Battle of the Trident (at which point, Lyanna’s pregnancy and Rhaegar’s paternity could be made clear).
Harrag is a D&D ruse. This guy will be Rhaegar. Look at those eyes. And that jawline! 😉
Awesome….Go Aussie!
The Game of Thrones entry on his CV has now been removed from his agency’s website.
Theon’s tough as nails (& slightly insane at this point, tbh). After Ramsey’s treatment, getting punched in the face a few times during a fist fight will probably feel like little tickles to him. People think he’s broken & are used to him acting meek but this will be the point when he snaps and reemerges harder and stronger and the IB realize how unbreakable the guy actually is. The same actor he’s fighting steps forward as if to assist in the scene when Jon gets rough with him during their reunion. Theon survives the whole story — mark it.