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In 2011, Mahershala Ali auditioned for ‘Game of Thrones’. A lack of chairs and “power moves” cost him dearly
Mahershala Ali recalled that a poor audition for the second season of *Game of Thrones* cost him the role of merchant Xaro Xhoan Daxos. He had prepared his lines and planned physical “power moves”, but the room’s backless stools left him feeling stiff, and casting director Nina Gold criticised the performance.
Ali later won two Academy Awards, and Gold said passing him over was one of her few regrets from the series. The article also notes that Marvel’s repeatedly delayed *Blade* project was eventually scrapped after years of preparation by Ali, who is now due to voice a character in *Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse*.
In short
- Backless stools contributed to Ali’s “terrible” *Game of Thrones* audition.
- He missed the role of Xaro Xhoan Daxos.
- Casting director Nina Gold later regretted turning him down.
Explained simply
Game of Thrones is a television drama based on novels by George R. R. Martin. Its second season included Xaro Xhoan Daxos, a wealthy merchant who becomes involved in the struggle for power around Daenerys Targaryen, one of the story’s central characters.
Mahershala Ali is an American actor who went on to win two Academy Awards. Nina Gold, the casting director for Game of Thrones, helped choose actors for the series; her decisions shaped how its characters were brought to screen.
Ali has also spent years preparing to play Blade, a Marvel character who hunts vampires, in a film project that faced repeated delays. His career connects a missed television role with later high-profile film work, while the fate of the Blade project shows how long-running productions can change.