It’d be difficult to imagine someone beside Jonathan Pryce earning the High Sparrow’s fiery Game of Thrones end, but harder to envision anyone but Anthony Hopkins puppeteering that wild Westworld finale. That said, it seems Mad Men and The Crown alum Jared Harris was at one time up for either part, as revealed in a fascinating new interview.

Vulture compiled an intriguing feature of stars discussing the actors they’ve competed with for roles, in the process revealing some surprising what-ifs. Harris in particular joked about being offered roles that other actors turned down, as well that he’d gone out for both Westworld’s Dr. Robert Ford, and Game of Thrones’ High Sparrow:

I lose parts to the weirdest people. It’s kind of confusing. I mean, it changes a lot. In the beginning, I didn’t lose parts but I’d get stuff that either Gary Oldman wasn’t interested in, or Phillip Seymour Hoffman wasn’t interested in. It’s kind of a weird range. It’s a very odd thing to find out who ends up doing stuff that you [auditioned for]. I went in for Westworld for Anthony Hopkins’s part. [Laughs.] Yeah, it’s weird. Game of Thrones, the part that Jonathan Pryce did. It’s kind of a strange thing.

In both cases, it appears HBO went with someone older (or Anthony Hopkins, because Anthony Hopkins), but there’s every chance of Harris landing a role in future seasons. After all, Hopkins isn’t likely to be a regular presence in Westworld Season 2, and Game of Thrones has at least one more season full of vaguely British accents to cast.

You can check out other almost-castings on the link above, and stay tuned for more on Game of Thrones and Westworld in the coming weeks.

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