These ‘Game Of Thrones’ Actors Had To Submit Themselves For The Emmys

With it record-breaking 32 nominations for the 2019 Emmys, one would expect that HBO spared no expense on “Game of Thrones” and went all out submitting as much of it cast and crew members for consideration as possible. However, a new report has revealed that some of the show’s biggest new nominees had to forge their own path.

In an official response to the Hollywood Reporter, HBO confirmed that nominees Alfie Allen, Gwendoline Christie, and Carice Van Houten were not submitted officially by the company, but instead submitted themselves for consideration via their representatives. Going this route, the actors also had to cover the $225 submission fee themselves. THR notes that it isn’t entirely uncommon for performers with smaller roles to submit themselves just in case, but these self-submissions tend not to result in nominations.

Allen is nominated for best supporting actor in a drama, Christie for best supporting actress in a drama, and Van Houten for best guest actress in a drama. All are first-time Emmy nominees and were considered big surprises when nominations were released Tuesday.

Other actors nominated for the final season of “Game of Thrones” are Peter Dinklage, Kit Harrington, Emilia Clarke, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Lena Headey, Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams. While HBO did not offer an explanation for who they did or did not submit officially, THR speculates that it was merely a case of setting a cutoff somewhere when attempting to handle the series’ massive cast of recurring actors.

The 71st Primetime Emmy Awards will air at 8 p.m. ET on Sept. 22. “Game of Thrones” Season 8 has the most nominations of any series this year, and it broke the all-time nomination record of 26, held by “NYPD Blue” Season 1 since 1994.