Faith Roswell is a Senior Writer on Screen Rant’s Classic TV team. Since earning her degree in Creative Writing over a decade ago, Faith has written articles on film and TV from a variety of different angles. Faith now combines her knowledge of psychology with her love of monster movies to give more insight into what makes the best ones.
You may have read her Screen Rant lists and features covering horror, sci-fi, and fantasy, or read her Amazon Top 10 book, “Movie Monsters of the Deep.”
Faith has had an extensive career as a writer, appearing on BBC live radio, researching true crime for Rotten Mango podcast, and writing for publications including Mental Floss, Atlas Obscura, and The Daily Jaws before beginning here at Screen Rant.
Game of Thrones introduced viewers to some iconic characters, including the morally-upstanding but politically unwise Ned Stark, played by Sean Bean. Of all the surprising deaths in Game of Thrones, Stark’s at the end of season 1 was arguably the most expected, as Sean Bean’s onscreen deaths have become legendary. Still, this left viewers without much insight into him, learning more about Ned from his children and in brief flashbacks.
Ned Stark’s life before Game of Thrones has had some exciting moments, with Robert Baratheon’s rebellion being one of the defining moments in his story. With a stage play confirmed to tell the story of Robert’s rebellion, it is likely that it will also be adapted for the screen. While Bean’s performance defined the character, this will open the door for a new actor to take on the role, playing a younger version of Ned Stark.
When casting a younger Ned Stark, one of the most obvious and expected choices for the role would be Robert Aramayo, as he has played the role before. Aramayo played the young Ned in seasons 6 and 7 during flashback scenes which show a more idealistic version of the character. Episodes like “The Tower of Joy” show him sword fighting as well as tackling more emotive scenes, and Aramayo’s career has continued to show his abilities in sword fighting, playing Elrond in The Rings of Power TV show.
Aramayo won a 2026 BAFTA Award for his portrayal of Tourette Syndrome advocate and spokesman John Davidson in the biopic, I Swear.
As a familiar face to Game of Thrones fans, Aramayo feels like less of a casting risk than many other possibilities, but as Ned was approximately 20 years old during the events, he may be too old for the role despite his experience and talent. Aramayo addressed the possibility of returning as Ned Stark, acknowledging that it was a long time ago so he might not be the right fit.
Robert Aramayo’s portrayal of a young Ned Stark might be the best-known in Game of Thrones, but an even younger version of the character was played by a different actor. Sebastian Croft appeared in two season 6 episodes showing flashbacks to when Ned was a boy. As he is currently in his 20s, he is closer to the age that Ned would be at the time of the rebellion, making him a possible alternative.
Croft has had less continued experience with stunts and screen combat, instead becoming one of the central characters in the coming-of-age drama Heartstopper. However, this experience makes him a good candidate for being able to convey the emotional depth of the scenes involving Lyanna. Croft has pivoted slightly to creating music as well as acting, but the role might be too great an opportunity to turn down.
While Dane DeHaan has never been in Game of Thrones, he regularly plays characters who have a similar demeanor to Ned Stark, leading him to be compared to the character. DeHaan played Jacob in American Primeval and Chris in ZeroZeroZero, both of which are intense roles as characters who often appear to carry the world on their shoulders, like Ned.
It helps that DeHaan and Bean look alike, but one major obstacle that DeHaan would need to overcome is his American accent, as Sean Bean used his native Yorkshire accent to play Ned Stark. That said, many actors in Game of Thrones changed their natural accents for their roles, and there have been some excellent performances from actors who sound nothing like their characters, so DeHaan’s natural accent should not rule him out.
Ned Stark is often seen as a stoic character, but this is not strictly true. He has some of the most intense scenes in Game of Thrones, and is clearly an excellent fighter, though this is generally alluded to rather than shown onscreen. This combination makes casting the character a difficult feat, but Charlie Rowe is a possibility due to his experience in high-stakes prestige historical dramas, having played George Osborne in Vanity Fair.
Rowe played the younger version of the titular character in the comedy drama Jay Kelly, proving that he is able to assess an existing character and translate them into an earlier time, which is a valuable skill to have. Rowe may be older than Ned Stark in the timeline of Robert’s rebellion, but he looks younger than he is, and may be able to play the part for a miniseries rather than a multi-year production like the original Game of Thrones.
Jack McMullen might be best known for dark and gritty dramas like This City is Ours and Time, but these shows sometimes carry a similar grim tone to some of the key scenes in Winterfell, and both star Sean Bean. McMullen’s role in This City is Ours proved that he could plausibly be related to Sean Bean, as he plays his character’s son.
While McMullen has less experience in fantasy and historical dramas than other actors on his list, this may not be such a problem for a character like Ned Stark, who is much more grounded and realistic than many other characters in Game of Thrones. McMullen’s roles have shown him portraying characters with conflicted loyalties, which is a central theme in the story of Robert’s rebellion, and although he would be an unexpected choice, it is not that far-fetched a possibility.
Owen Cooper’s Emmy Award-winning performance in Adolescence quickly made him one of the biggest names to watch out for. At just 16, he has proven himself capable of taking on intense and nuanced roles, and while audiences have not yet seen him in a historical drama, this is set to change. Cooper is among the cast of the historical tragedy Cry to Heaven, which is currently in post-production and set to release in 2027.
Cooper is still a very new actor, and aged 16 at the time of writing. This would currently make him younger than Ned during the events of the story, but if the show was to be made in a few years, Cooper would not only be the right age for the character, but he would also have time to gain some more acting experience before taking on the iconic role.
Alfie Williams’ central role in 28 Years Later and its sequel, The Bone Temple, has proven that he can play a character carrying an immense emotional load. His character, Spike, must navigate a dangerous and hostile situation and forge complex allegiances, while trying to protect a family member. While the 28 Days franchise is a post-apocalyptic story rather than a historical drama, Spike and Ned’s story arcs carry the same emotional beats.
Like Owen Cooper, Williams is another young actor with less onscreen experience, but it is possible that he could grow into the role. Cooper’s first onscreen role was a standout for the actor, but Williams has demonstrated experience doing scenes that contain more of the skills he would need to play a young Ned Stark. If he can learn to sword fight too, he would likely be a great actor for the part.
While some of the actors on this list are the expected and seemingly obvious choices to play the young Ned Stark, it is possible that the team casting the possible Game of Thrones spinoff may choose to pick an unexpected option. Charlie Heaton has appeared in the financial drama Industry and is reportedly set to star in Josh Hartnett’s as-of-yet untitled Newfoundland project, but he is best known for playing Jonathan Byers in Stranger Things.
Heaton is not as strange a choice as he might seem at first. Stranger Things fans may not know that he is actually English, and shares a similar natural accent with Sean Bean, as both are originally from Yorkshire. Some reviewers felt that Heaton did not get enough to do during the final season of Stranger Things despite having some of the most intense scenes in previous seasons, so playing Ned could give him the opportunity to show viewers what he can do with another emotive storyline.
Game Of Thrones ](/db/tv-show/game-of-thrones/)
](/tag/action-movies/)
](/tag/adventure/)
](/tag/fantasy/)
2011 - 2019-00-00
David Benioff, D.B. Weiss
David Nutter, Alan Taylor, D.B. Weiss, David Benioff
D.B. Weiss, George R.R. Martin, David Benioff