Every Game of Thrones fan knows the tale about the pilot episode that never saw the light of day. Until now, many are still wondering what it looked like or how different it was from the version we saw on television. Certainly, some of them were salvaged, but the rest have been hidden in the depths of the earth where no one can find them.
A lot of things went wrong in that episode that greatly displeased the showrunners. Even during the filming, they were already facing a lot of issues from all departments, so it’s no wonder the final output did not look any better.
Sean Bean looks back on Game of Thrones scrapped pilot
Despite the problematic pilot episode of Game of Thrones, actor Sean Bean, who played Ned Stark, had fond memories that he will always treasure. He spoke about it with so much care and grace, accepting it as more of an experiment than a mistake. In his interview with Entertainment Weekly, he said he experienced “some very good moments” on the set.
So what exactly went wrong? It’s safe to say that it was the first time they were making a fantasy show this big that they didn’t know how to handle it. The costumes initially looked inauthentic, the tone sounded more Shakespearean than real-life conversations, and the casting for some characters did not feel right. Still, Bean thought:
It was experimental in some ways. I think they were trying to portray what could be achieved: the kind of wonder and awe, the vast scale and complexity, all these war-faring tribes, the magic, the beauty, and the treachery. I think trying to get that into a pilot may have been difficult, and perhaps the story was lost a little. But nevertheless, it gave you a sense of what it could be.
As mentioned, some of the scenes from the unaired episode made it to the official show, and the actor believed it served its purpose. From there, the showrunners saw where they fell short, and they developed it into what has now become one of the greatest television shows ever.
![“There was always a bit of a [dark] side”: Game of Thrones Broke Sean Bean’s 1 Career Streak Even ‘The Lord of the Rings’ Couldn’t Touch](https://fwmedia.fandomwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/20072045/sean-bean-the-lord-of-the-rings-768x432.jpg "“There was always a bit of a [dark] side”: Game of Thrones Broke Sean Bean’s 1 Career Streak Even ‘The Lord of the Rings’ Couldn’t Touch")
For what it’s worth, the unreleased episode was a sandbox that witnessed all the good and bad stuff.
Game of Thrones cast members recalled their favorite things about the infamous pilot episode
While the scrapped pilot wasn’t the best quality output, some cast members had fun during the shoot and recalled many great moments in the show.
Like Bean, his onscreen son Isaac Hempstead-Wright, who played Bran Stark, remembers the good times vividly. “I was a 10-year-old that got to go and have archery lessons, climbing lessons, horse riding lessons… I mean it was like going to summer camp,” he told Radio Times.
Lena Headey, who played Cersei Lannister, remembers her Dolly Parton-like hairstyle that she loved, but it didn’t fit her character so they had to get rid of it.
Game of Thrones is currently available to watch on Max.
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