'Casting message of Game of Thrones is a hoax'

Still from Game Of Thrones

A fraudulent message floating around on social networking platform WhatsApp caught the attention of mid-day yesterday. Under the pretext of being sent by Nina Gold, casting director of popular American series Game Of Thrones, the text appeared to urge aspiring Indian actors to audition for a role on the show. "We are on a last minute casting hunt for an Indian Face for a lead character of an Indian Princess (sic)," the text, from a UK number, read. Beauty blogger Shikha Kohli, who also received the message, reveals, "I was told it would be a 64-day schedule, starting on March 28. When I asked the sender where she found my number from, she said she has a team that sources profiles from various agencies."

A snapshot of the WhatsApp message circulated yesterday

Suspecting something amiss about the method of casting, mid-day connected with Gold's colleague, Charlotte Chapman, only to learn that the message, in fact, was part of a hoax. "There is an investigation underway [in the UK] as well. Those who haven't been approached via our official email id should not respond to these messages. We aren't looking for an Indian actress. We are in the process of compiling evidence against the imposter," she said, adding that while her team has dealt with such miscreant before, "we aren't sure how dangerous their intentions are".

Nina Gold

Even though the Indian branch of HBO, GoT's host channel, refused to comment until instructed further, an insider said, "We [HBO] will have to be vigilant. It's too early to say what action will be taken, but we will circulate a message on social media reiterating that such texts be brought to our notice. Once the US office has been intimated, we will decide whether a case should be filed."

Catch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates