# Brienne of Tarth cast **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 11, 2011, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brienne-of-tarth-cast/588641 "2011-07-11T16:57:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2011, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brienne-of-tarth-cast/588641/1 "2011-07-11T16:57:08Z")
[Gwendoline Christie](http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/GraphicCity/news/?a=41234). Interesting. Though she’s quite pretty, she at least has the height to pull off Brienne. I’m trying to find some body pics now, but haven’t had much luck. Given her height, if she bulks up some before shooting, I’m feeling like she could make a good Brienne. Especially if they ugly her up with makeup. (apologies if this was already announced in another thread - I did a search, couldn’t find anything.) ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2011, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brienne-of-tarth-cast/588641/2 "2011-07-11T17:10:17Z")
It was in the casting thread and the spoiler thread actually 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2011, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brienne-of-tarth-cast/588641/3 "2011-07-11T17:27:51Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > I’m trying to find some body pics now, but haven’t had much luck. If nudity ( relatively tasteful art photography ) doesn’t bother you search for “Gwendoline Christie Polly Borland cultured porn.” She’s not very broad-shouldered, but a little padding could easily camouflage that. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2011, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brienne-of-tarth-cast/588641/4 "2011-07-11T17:37:04Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > It was in the casting thread and the spoiler thread actually 🙂 Good God, I searched, I looked, I didn’t see anything. Oh well, we needed another GoT thread, right? You can’t have too many. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2011, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brienne-of-tarth-cast/588641/5 "2011-07-11T18:57:47Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > Good God, I searched, I looked, I didn’t see anything. > > Oh well, we needed another GoT thread, right? You can’t have too many. I wouldn’t worry…GoT threads will never even come close to the level of LOTR threads back when the movies were still coming out. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2011, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brienne-of-tarth-cast/588641/6 "2011-07-11T20:13:33Z")
I don’t see it. I know they can “ugly her up” and the height is fine but I pictured somebody more like a 20 year old [Dot Jones from GLEE](http://img.poptower.com/pic-36785/dot-jones.jpg?d=600) or [Megan Cavanaugh from A League of Their Own](http://www.wearysloth.com/Gallery/ActorsC/2928-10931.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2011, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brienne-of-tarth-cast/588641/7 "2011-07-11T20:25:19Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > I don’t see it. I get where you’re coming from, but I think this may come down to “beggars can’t be choosers.” This was a really tough one and it sounds like it was an instant consensus choice by the casters ( including Martin ). She’s definitely more lithe and slender than I pictured and undeniably prettier. But everybody expected that second issue and I think both of those problems can be reasonably worked around. The fact that they found a 6’ 3" woman who they were comfortable putting on the screen is already an impressive accomplishment. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2011, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brienne-of-tarth-cast/588641/8 "2011-07-11T20:26:52Z")
Of course Peter Dinklage doesn’t match the Tyrion from the books either (he’s way too handsome and has too great a voice) and he’s worked out fine. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2011, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brienne-of-tarth-cast/588641/9 "2011-07-11T20:44:57Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Of course Peter Dinklage doesn’t match the Tyrion from the books either (he’s way too handsome and has too great a voice) and he’s worked out fine. Agreed. If Martin is on board with her casting, I am too. Makeup, a workout program and bulky armor will hopefully do the trick. She’s one of my favorite characters, BTW. ---
**Author:** ![Enilno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/58f4c7/32.png) [@Enilno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enilno)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2011, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brienne-of-tarth-cast/588641/10 "2011-07-11T20:45:42Z")
I always thought that the Brienne’s ugliness was overstated, based on the biases of the characters in the book. Because she doesn’t conform to the role normally expected of women in Westeros any defects in her appearance gets exaggerated. Compounded to that she has zero confidence about how she looks. I don’t have a problem with a Brienne who is plain as opposed to ugly. Similarly, I thought Tyrion’s ugliness in the same way, that his features are exaggerated due to his dwarfism and him being highborn. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2011, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brienne-of-tarth-cast/588641/11 "2011-07-11T21:06:43Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > I don’t see it. I know they can “ugly her up” and the height is fine but I pictured somebody more like a 20 year old [Dot Jones from GLEE](http://img.poptower.com/pic-36785/dot-jones.jpg?d=600) or [Megan Cavanaugh from A League of Their Own](http://www.wearysloth.com/Gallery/ActorsC/2928-10931.jpg). I imagined someone like Becky Wahlstrom like she did on Joan of Arcadia, but Gwendoline Christie isn’t so pretty that I can’t imagine how it could possibly work. There are pictures of Gwendoline where she looks quite plain ([this photo](http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lo30v7Sw561qa6z5uo1_400.png) for example, which is moderately worksafe as it cuts off just below her shoulders), and that’s _without_ any special effort to make her look like Brienne. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2011, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brienne-of-tarth-cast/588641/12 "2011-07-11T22:36:43Z")
[how about the gal on the left for the role of Brienne?](http://verydemotivational.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/demotivational-posters-death-by-snu-snu.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2011, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brienne-of-tarth-cast/588641/13 "2011-07-11T22:47:52Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > [how about the gal on the left for the role of Brienne?](http://verydemotivational.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/demotivational-posters-death-by-snu-snu.jpg) No, but maybe for Mag the Mighty. (No reason Mag can’t stand for Maggie.) ---
**Author:** ![quixotic78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/3ab097/32.png) [@quixotic78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quixotic78)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2011, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brienne-of-tarth-cast/588641/14 "2011-07-12T01:32:08Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > [how about the gal on the left for the role of Brienne?](http://verydemotivational.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/demotivational-posters-death-by-snu-snu.jpg) Thanks for specifying the gal on the left! 😃 This casting seems fine by me. Are there any truly ugly, 6’3"+ female actors in this world? It seems to me that if you’re really that big and ugly, you’re not going to seek out the limelight. And, of course, Brienne has a lot going on, so I don’t think it’d work to cast some female athlete and hope she picks up the acting chops as she goes along. So as good as they’re gonna get, I suppose. ---
**Author:** ![Declan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2011, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brienne-of-tarth-cast/588641/15 "2011-07-12T03:28:21Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > I don’t see it. I know they can “ugly her up” and the height is fine but I pictured somebody more like a 20 year old [Dot Jones from GLEE](http://img.poptower.com/pic-36785/dot-jones.jpg?d=600) or [Megan Cavanaugh from A League of Their Own](http://www.wearysloth.com/Gallery/ActorsC/2928-10931.jpg). Maybe with makeup, but both the two women look like peasants. I’d have to read the series again, just waiting on dance with dragons to come out, but I always felt that ugly meant undesirable, not unphotogenic. Most of her suiters were rebuffed, so she would have gotten more of a short shrift in terms of desirability, and really most of her suiters were after her family money and prestige. Declan ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2011, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brienne-of-tarth-cast/588641/16 "2011-07-12T04:33:14Z")
So we got an obvious appeal to gigantism fetishists to complement the dwarf fetishists, we got slave girls, we got lesbians … this show is obviously trying to mix and match [Fetish Fuels](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FetishFuel) big time. Which is, I think … a good thing! It will be interesting to see what all fetish fuels wind up added to the mix. As I have not read the books, it will add to the pleasure of seeing the series. Heh. ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2011, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brienne-of-tarth-cast/588641/17 "2011-07-12T04:58:34Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > If nudity ( relatively tasteful art photography ) doesn’t bother you search for “Gwendoline Christie Polly Borland cultured porn.” She’s not very broad-shouldered, but a little padding could easily camouflage that. Well I guess we won’t miss out on Brienne and Jaime’s bath scene then.