Filming starts Friday night in Northern Ireland on the most famous scene of “Games of Thrones” — the Red Wedding.
And, according to a casting notice, the show is looking for amputees to act as extras in the bloody episode.
“Seeking LEG ONLY, MALE AMPUTEES,” reads the notice posted on an Irish casting Web site.
Interested actors are required to send “a clear description regarding where your limb is missing eg. at knee, at ankle, etc.”
The Red Wedding — which fans of the fantasy novel series by George R. R. Martin consider a major turning point of the five-book story —is a massacre that leaves thousands dead.
“You must be OK and comfortable with filming a scene within the context of a battle where your leg has been injured,” the notice says.
“Prosthetic makeup will be applied as though your leg has newly been severed. We understand that this is not for everyone, so please only apply if you are happy to participate.”
Filming on “Game of Thrones” — which is set to begin its third season in March — takes place principally at Paint Hall Studios in Belfast.
The series has been remarkably faithful to the original plot (actually multi-plots) of Martin’s incredibly complicated, detailed epic about a medieval land called Westeros and the struggle for power.
The epic TV series has been among the most expensive things ever done — even by HBO’s lavish standards.
The pay cable network has committed itself to film all five books — roughly one per season. The series is expected to span seven novels.
The climactic Red Wedding scene, if staged according to its description in the third book of the series, “The Storm of Swords,” would require hundreds of extras — including scores of musicians, which the casting notice also asked for.
“Seeking MALE only cellists,” the same notice reads. “
“Ideally men with medieval or period faces (i.e long hair & beard) but not essential.”