“Downton Abbey” veteran Rose Leslie has landed an important role in the second season of HBO’s “Game of Thrones” and, hypothetically, moving forward.
According to EW.com, Leslie has been cast as Ygritte, a Wildling woman who encounters Jon Snow during his journey beyond The Wall. Don’t count on seeing Ygritte until somewhere toward the end of “Game of Thrones” Season 2. Expect to see her more in “Game of Thrones” S.3, assuming such a season exists.
Leslie certainly fulfills the most important part of the mandate for Ygritte, who is described as “kissed by fire,” Wildling for “a redhead.”
Will Leslie be able to be scrappy enough to play Ygritte? Well, on “Downton Abbey,” her character dedicated extensive time to learning to use a typewriter and applying for secretarial work, which was pretty scrappy for a low-born young woman of that period.
“Game of Thrones” will return to HBO in April 2012. A slew of Season 2 casting has been widely reported, with highlights including Stephen Dillane as Stannis Baratheon, Carice van Houten as Melisandre, Liam Cunningham as Davos, Gwendoline Christie as Brienne and Natalie Dormer as Margaery Tyrell.