Ed Skrein wanted to remain a part of Game of Thrones “for the long haul”. However, his journey in the series was a short-lived one with only three episodes. Before the fourth season of Game of Thrones arrived, news that completely took the viewers aback was that Daario Naharis would not be depicted by Ed Skrein.
Ed Skrein was overnight replaced by Michiel Huisman. This change was truly a dramatic one for a multitude of reasons. So what exactly happened that led Ed Skrein to be replaced by the show? In an interview, Ed Skrein opened up, saying that it was “politics” that eventually led him to get removed from the show.
Why Game of Thrones replaced Ed Skrein?
So, according to Ed Skrein himself, politics played a vital role in his removal from the show. It cannot be denied that, often, TV shows replace actors for various reasons. It could be budget issues, and sometimes it could even be personal issues. Hence, seeing an actor getting replaced might not have been a surprise for the fans. However, that was not the case.
Fans were truly devastated to not be able to see the flowy-haired, arrogant version of Daario Naharis, which was brought to life by Ed Skrein. In his place, we received a completely different version of Daario, which was initially taken with much surprise by the viewers. There is a stark difference between Ed Skrein’s version of Daario and Michiel Huisman’s version of Daario. Ed Skrein’s Daario embodied a distinct arrogance.

There was a haughtiness that drew the viewers in right away. Michiel Huisman’s Daario was much less arrogant. Many viewers also pointed out that Ed Skrein’s Daario would have been a better match to Daenerys. Though it is up for debate and is a subjective issue, the aspect of getting replaced because of political reasons definitely is a disheartening one.
Though he got replaced from a show that ended up becoming one of the greatest fantasy TV shows, pioneering in the field of entertainment for years, Ed Skrein maintains a positive attitude about the whole situation. While discussing his experience during his limited time with Game of Thrones, Ed Skrein explains that it was a “wonderful” one. He tries to remain “grounded” and maintain a positive and humble attitude towards it all.
It must also be noted that whenever a TV show decides to replace an actor, they try to keep the visuals as close as possible. However, in this situation, it is not the same. There is a stark difference in the visuals between Ed Skrein’s and Michiel Huisman’s Daario. While one possesses long hair, the other has short hair. Even the colour of the hair is different.

This stark visual difference was also a significant factor that raised concern amongst the viewers. If we consider the similarity between the two versions of the book, then it must be noted that Skrein’s version of Daario was much similar in terms of personality to the book version of Daario.
Though Ed Skrein got replaced in Game of Thrones, he continued to have a long and successful career in the entertainment industry with projects like Jurassic World Rebirth, Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver, I Used to Be Famous, and many more under his belt.
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