Fan CastingA Song of Ice and Fire

Description of Aerys II Targaryen ("The Mad King"):

Aerys II Targaryen was the seventeenth and last member of the Targaryen dynasty to sit the Iron Throne. Aerys was a handsome young man, with purple eyes and gold-silver hair. Later in his life, as his insanity grew, his appearance deteriorated. He refused to wash, and would not allow anyone to cut his hair, trim his beard, or cut his fingernails due to his fear of being touched. As a result, his hair grew past his shoulders to his waist and became matted, his bear tangled, and his fingernails grew to be yellow talons of almost a foot long. As he was afraid of being poisoned, Aerys became very thin and gaunt, and he looked much older than he actually was.