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Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant Turned Down A Game of Thrones Role
Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant was offered the chance to appear in Game of Thrones but turned down the role, the man himself has confirmed. Often considered the forefathers of rock music, Led Zeppelin are responsible for a catalogue of eternally popular songs such as "Stairway To Heaven," "Whole Lotta Love" and "Immigrant Song." Singer Plant was instrumental in the band's success, providing them with a soaring vocal range, a charismatic presence and some immersive, fantasy-based lyrics.
HBO's hit show Game of Thrones is currently filming its eighth and final season ahead of a premiere sometime in 2019 and there's already plenty of speculation over the forthcoming shocks, deaths and mammoth battles that viewers have now come to expect from the series. Another feature of Game of Thrones that fans now actively look out for are the cameos from famous musicians. From subtle appearances by Coldplay, Mastodon and Sigur Rós to the overt - and widely panned - scene featuring Ed Sheeran, Game of Thrones has featured a variety of big names in cameo roles.
In an interview with The Strombo Show, Plant revealed that he was offered the chance to appear in Game of Thrones but ultimately decided to turn it down. Asked whether he watched Thrones in his free time, Plant replied, "No. I got offered a part in that!" and when pushed on why he turned it down, he jokingly claimed:
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"Yeah, well I don't want to be typecast [laughs]. I started that sh*t off you know, go back to 'Immigrant Song' and Led Zeppelin being part of a cultural exchange in Iceland... [To publicist] What [part] was it, do you know? I thought I got to ride a horse and go [makes angry sneering face]. I hadn't got time to grow the beard really so, no, but I mean how silly."
With his long, gray mane of hair and facial hair that would make a wizard jealous, Plant wouldn't exactly have to do much to blend in within Westeros and his affinity for fantasy fiction has been explored in Tolkien-inspired songs like "Misty Mountain Hop" and "The Battle of Evermore." It's certainly easy to see why Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss wanted Plant on their show. While he may not know the exact part he was offered, the singer would surely have made an excellent White Walker, resident of Winterfell or even a Wildling.
For anyone familiar with Plant's career, it probably won't come as a huge surprise that the singer turned this particular gig down. Plant has always been reluctant to revisit former glories, resisting numerous Led Zeppelin reunions, and has generally eschewed the chance to turn his musical renown into celebrity fame. For much of their career, Led Zeppelin were also famously picky with allowing their music to be used in movies and TV shows - a stance that the constant use of "Immigrant Song" in modern movie trailers would suggest has now softened - so it's perhaps not a shock that Plant had no interest in making an appearance in Thrones.
Benioff and Weiss likely knew from the start that the cameo was a long shot but Zeppelin fans would almost certainly have loved to see Plant feature in Game of Thrones. Unfortunately, instead of a rock and roll legend, they had to make do with a cringe-worthy turn from Sheeran.
Game of Thrones season 8 is set to premiere in 2019 on HBO.
