‘Game of Thrones’ Creator Reveals His Lost Cameo

Long before Alfred Hitchcock perfected it, directors and writers making cameos in their own work has long been a tradition.  But with George R.R. Martin's friendly penchant for fan indulgence and distinctive beard putting him right at home in the land of Westeros, why haven't we seen the 'Song of Ice and Fire' author appear on HBO's 'Game of Thrones' just yet?

We already have!  Or, rather, we would have.  According to an interview with Empire, Martin actually filmed a cameo for the pilot episode of 'Game of Thrones, though it had to be discarded.  Martin was to appear as a guest at the Dothraki wedding of Daenerys Targaryen and Khal Drogo, though subsequently the original actress to play Dany, Tamzin Merchant, was replaced with Emilia Clarke, rendering most of the initial footage useless.  Martin wasn't available to return to Morocco for the re-shoots required to re-do the cameo.

But don't count the "other" bearded one just yet!  Show-runners Dan Weiss and David Benioff have kicked around a few other ideas for how to incorporate the 'Game of Thrones' creator into future episodes (aside from writing one episode a season).  Previous efforts have proved somewhat expensive, but according to Martin:

"I also had investigated the idea of being a head on a spike, and [David and Dan] were going to put my severed head on a spike at one point, but then they got the quote for what that would cost. Those severed heads are expensive, and our budget is tight! So unless I provide my own, I don't get to be a severed head!

But one of my fans who does that sort of thing has offered me the chance to make one next time I go out to LA. How could I resist? I could have my own severed head and carry it around in a bowling bag."

Well, we know 'Game of Thrones' is of no shortage for severed heads!  They'll even put them on a poster, sometimes!  What say you?  Would you like to see George R.R. Martin get some face-time on the series he helped create, or is fan service beyond the realm of Westeros?  Tell us your favorite 'Game of Thrones' season 2 moments so far in the comments below!