Rock legend Robert Plant turned down a cameo role in “Game of Thrones” because he didn’t want to be “typecast,” the Led Zeppelin singer joked in an interview.
The 73-year-old singer said he is a history buff, and his well-known affinity for Lord of the Rings might have made him a natural for a role in the HBO fantasy juggernaut. But he told told Canadian media personality George Stroumboulopoulos, in an interview on Apple Music 1, that he nixed it.
“I don’t want to get typecast,” Plant said with a laugh. “I started that s***.”
Plant could not recall what role he was offered, but there was one detail the “Stairway to Heaven” singer did recall.
“I got to ride a horse,” he said.
Did you know Robert Plant was offered a role in Game of Thrones? Here's why he turned it down. pic.twitter.com/vc00AenZNq
— George FKN StroumbouloPHÒulos 🐺 (@strombo) June 14, 2022
Plant famously sang of Vikings and marauders in the classic Zep tune, “Immigrant Song,” whose imagery seems a match for George RR Martin’s classic series.
“I love Western European history from maybe the Bronze Age up through all the old religion … when we were really in touch with our Earth,” Plant said. “The Viking thing, the whole idea of playing in Iceland and experiencing this landscape and people.
“Yeah, I’ve got a lot to answer for, because I’ve never seen so many bands with double-bladed axes,” he said.
Given Plan’t past, it probably wouldn’t have mattered if the show’s producers had offered him the Moon to appear in the series. In 2014, he turned down a reported $800 million to reunite with Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones for a Led Zeppelin tour. Page, Jones and the late drummer John Bonham’s son, Jason, were ready to rock, according to the UK Daily Mirror.
One singer who took the show up on a cameo offer was Ed Sheeran. He took heat from fans for his portrayal of a Lannister soldier in the first episode of the seventh season in 2017.
“I know what ‘Game of Thrones’ fans hoped happened to my character,” Sheeran later said. “I’m sure they think my character got brutally, brutally murdered, but I think my character is still out there. I think he’s chillin.’”
The “Game of Thrones” finale on May 19, 2019 drew a series record of 19.3 million viewers.