Game of Throne's Melisandre (Carice van Houten) is no stranger to the dark arts.

The second season of HBO's Game of Thrones is just around the corner. We will soon get to see two of the pivotal character's introduced in the second volume of George R.R. Martin's gripping series—Stannis Baratheon, Robert's brother and possibly rightful heir to the throne and his mistress, Melisandre, priestess of R'hllor. Both roles have been filled using actors with genre experience, which seems to be the rule rather than the exception on Game of Thrones.

Stannis, the humorless, downright grumpy middle Baratheon brother will be played by Stephen Dillane, who nerds might remember as Merlin from the Clive Owen King Arthur. Of the new actors joining the case, this is the only one that gives me pause. Dillane is a fine actor who has been good in some good movies and the best thing in some awful ones (I'm looking at you Red Mist), but he doesn't seem a good fit physically for Stannis. Of course, his acting chops are more important than his physical presence, especially since that is something that can be pretty easily faked, so I'm certainly willing to give the guy a chance to prove me wrong.

 

More spot on is the casting of Carice van Houten as Melisandre. Not only is she a perfect match for the Melisandre I pictured while reading the novels, she has also had solid genre experience (in a film with poor Eddard Stark, nonetheless). The Dutch actress first came to my attention as the purported necromancer in Christopher Smith's underrated Black Death.

As a pagan sorceress protecting her village from the encroaching plague, van Houten is alternately charismatic and frightening. It is not too hard to imagine the producers of Game of Thrones watching Black Death and seeing this beautiful woman in red sacrificing Christians and thinking, “There's our Melisandre!”

As we approach the premier of season 2, we will be continuing our look at the new cast members.  Check back soon.