One of the most anticipated remaining casting announcements for HBO’s adaption of George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones has just come out, courtesy of James Hibberd at the Hollywood Reporter’s blog, The Live Feed.
Aidan Gillen, a fan favorite from early on, has been cast in the role of Lord Petyr Baelish, more popularly known as Littlefinger. A scheming, immoral social-climbing conniver, Baelish is a pivotal character in the series, one that viewers are sure to love to hate.
Gillen first came to prominence in his breakthrough role as Stuart Allen Jones in the original Queer as Folk in the U.K., and has since gone on to appear in a number of productions, most notably the role of Mayor Carcetti (also a political schemere par excellance) in HBO’s acclaimed The Wire. Some months back, Paul Gude was in contact with his agent, and learned that the agent had heard about the possibility of a role for his client and expressed their interest. It seems to have worked out.
Below are two videos, one featuring him reading in his native Dublin accent. The other, we’re told, is a pivotal scene from The Wire which we’re placing below the cut as it contains spoilers: