Ali was on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" last night, and described his audition for the "Game of Thrones" Season 2 role o of Daenerys Targeryen's Qarth frenemy Xaro Xhoan Daxos. (The role ultimately went to British actor Nonso Anozie.)
"I think my audition guaranteed that I wasn't almost on 'Game of Thrones.' That was one of the worst auditions of my life. I'd gone in for this casting director before, and I felt like I had two other wonky auditions with her, but I was really prepared this time around. Totally off book, had all my lines memorized, had this whole thing worked out with this chair. I was working with doing all these power moves and stances and whatnot. I had all my stuff worked out."
And then he walked into the HBO offices and ... they didn't have a chair with a back, they just had two stools.
"So, I'm kind of sitting there with my feet halfway off the ground, a little bit stiff during the audition, and then she goes, 'Wow, you gotta loosen that up, that was really stiff. That was a problem.' So it was because I didn't have a back to my chair."
Kimmel said now he knows, he has to bring a chair the next time -- even though that might be weird, to walk into an audition with your own chair. At least you'd be memorable!
Watch that clip, and more from Mahershala Ali (pronounced Mah-HERSH-alah), whose birth name is even longer:
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