The “Game of Thrones” Stars: Both in and out of costume – part 1

One of the biggest shows ever made is slowly coming to an end with the final season premiering on April 14. Millions of fans over the world have been immersed in the magical, fantasy world of Game of Thrones for eight years now.

Sadly, we’ll have to say our goodbyes soon, but we hope to find answers to many of our questions in this final season, right?

Before any of this happens, let’s remember some of our favorite characters from the show and see what they look like in real life, out of all those costumes. You’ll be surprised, believe us!

Margaery Tyrell

An ambitious lady from Highgarden, Margaery Tyrell was first married to King Renly Baratheon. After he was killed, Margaery travels to King’s Landing with a mission to become the Queen again.

Thanks to her beauty, wit and charm, she succeeds in her mission by marrying King Joffrey, and later his younger brother, King Tommen. Nevertheless, she was stopped when Cersei blew up the Great Sept of Baelor, with Margaery and many other people in it.

Whether you liked her or not, you must admit it was a pleasure watching her annoy Cersei.

Natalie Dormer

British actress Natalie Dormer received widespread praise even before she landed the role of Margaery Tyrell in Game of Thrones.

Her first notable role was Anne Boleyn on Showtime’s series The Tudors. Dormer continued to prove her versatile acting skills by playing Private Lorraine in Captain America: The First Avenger, Cressida in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay and Sara Price/Jess Price in The Forest.

Cersei Lannister

The evil and wicked Cersei Lannister will do everything, and kill anyone, to protect her children and keep the Iron Throne in the family. She’s also madly in love with her brother with whom she has three children – Joffrey, Myrcella and Tommen.

After her kids died and she assumed the throne, it seems that Cersei is going insane so we don’t really know what to expect from her.

In season one, she said to Ned Stark: “When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die. There is no middle ground.” Will she be the one to win or die at the end of the game? We’ll find out soon.

Lena Headey

The role of Cersei Lannister is played by well-known English actress Lena Headley. She received four Primetime Emmy Award nominations and a Golden Globe nomination for her part in Game of Thrones.

Although she’s mostly recognized as Cersei, Headey had notable roles in numerous movies like The Jungle Book, Mrs. Dalloway, Ripley’s Game, Dredd, The Purge, and 300: Rise of an Empire.

Like most women in the show, Headey is required to wear a wig. As she said, the wig helps her get into character. “That (wig) makes me very angry, so that helps when they put it on at 6 a.m. and I’m like, f—k”, she told The Daily Beast.

Missandei

Missandei was a slave of the masters of Astapor until Daenerys Targaryen took the Unsullied army from them, and freed her as well. The girl then joined Daenerys and eventually became her closest advisor. Missandei speaks nineteen languages including High Valyrian, Dothraki and the Common Tongue of Westeros.

“I feel like when things get more dangerous, it’ll be a chance for Missandei to show what she’s really made of”, said Nathalie Emmanuel, the actress who plays the role of Missandei.

Nathalie Emmanuel

The role of Missandei in Game of Thrones launched Nathalie Emmanuel’s international career. This young British actress began her acting career in theatre and in 2006 she made her on-screen debut with the role of Sasha Valentine in soap opera Hollyoaks.

Being part of the world’s most famous television show opened many doors for Emmanuel – she appeared in movies such as Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials, Furious 7, The Fate of the Furious and Maze Runner: The Death Cure.

Emmanuel is vegan and a licensed yoga instructor.

Arya Stark

At the beginning of the show, Arya Stark was just a little tomboy who liked riding horses and swinging a sword – all the things that are considered inappropriate for a lady. She’s one of the most interesting characters in the show, and might we say, one of the most dangerous, too.

Ever since she was trained as a Faceless Man at the House of Black and White in Braavos, Arya became fearless and it seems like nothing can stop her in the mission to avenge her family.

Maisie Williams

Maisie Williams was only 14 years old when she made her acting debut as Arya Stark – what a perfect way to start her career, right?

Her convincing portrayal of the rebel tomboy won her an EWwy Award, the Portal Award and the Saturn Award. She was also nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award.

Williams had a recurring role in Doctor Who and made her film debut in mystery The Falling.

If you take a close look at few of her pictures, you’ll notice that Maisie is nothing like her Game of Thrones character.

Varys

Varys, also known as the Master of Whisperers or Spider, is a mysterious and manipulative person who knows all the secrets in Westeros. He served many kings and plotted against all of them. He left King’s Landing to join Daenerys and we can’t help but wonder – will he betray her as well?

Conleth Hill, the actor who portrays Varys said about his character that “the key to Varys is that he’s one way in public, when he’s working, very fey, giggly, and effete for want of a better word, but there are moments when he drops all that and speaks honestly. That stuff is great to play.”

Conleth Hill

Take a look at some of Conleth Hill’s interviews online and you’ll be amazed at how different he is in real life. Chances are you might not even recognize him if you saw him in the street.

Hill is a film, stage and television actor from Northern Ireland, which means he has a different, Irish, accent in real life. He played in numerous stage productions across the United Kingdom and the US, including in Broadway. Hill is the winner of the 2001 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor and he’s also been nominated the Tony Awards twice.

Jon Snow

Jon Snow was raised by Ned Stark, alongside his other five children. His last name is Snow because he was always presented as Ned’s bastard son.

Eventually, however, we found out that he’s a secret child of Ned’s sister, Lyanna Stark, and Rhaegar Targaryen, which makes him the heir to the Iron Throne.

Snow was chosen as Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch, but was killed by his brothers at the end of season six. Ever since he was resurrected, his role in the show became even bigger and we expect him to lead the army of the living against the Night King next season.

Kit Harington

Kit Harrington was 24 years old when he auditioned and landed the role of Jon Snow. Never in his wildest dreams could he guess how the show would change his life. Harrington was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award and a Critics Choice Award for this role.

Despite the fact he’s been working on Game of Thrones for the last eight years, Kit had time to appear in other movies as well. The actor starred in Pompeii and the British drama Testament of Youth and he also provided the voice of Eret in the How to Train Your Dragon franchise.

Daenerys Targaryen

The young and beautiful Queen Daenerys Targaryen is also known as Khaleesi or the Mother of Dragons. She’s the last surviving member of House Targaryen – at least she thinks so – which makes her the rightful heir to the Iron Throne.

Daenerys has been building her army for years and now she has both the Unsullied and the Dothraki by her side. Oh, and three dragons, of course. With the help of her advisors, including Tyrion Lannister, she’s headed to Westeros. The only problem is, she has to fight the Night King with Jon Snow first.

Emilia Clarke

Emilia Clarke became an international star thanks to the role of Daenerys Targaryen, which earned her three nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award and six nominations for the Screen Actors Guild Award.

Clarke admitted she’s hardly ever recognized when she takes her blonde wig off. “I don’t get recognized, truly. I’ll be walking with Kit Harington, who plays Jon Snow, or Gwen (Christie), who plays Brienne of Tarth, and people will be like, ‘Can you take this picture for us?’ And I’m like, ‘Sure! Definitely I can!’” Clarke told Conan O’Brien.

The Night’s King

The Night King is the most mysterious character in Game of Thrones. We don’t know who he is or what he wants. He is leading his army of the dead south and last time we saw them, they brought down the Wall.

Vladimir Furdik, the actor who has played the character since season six, gave us a hint as to what the Night King wants in a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly.

“People will see he has a target he wants to kill, and you will find out who that is.”

Richard Brake

Richard Brake is a Welsh-American actor, who played the Night King in the fourth and fifth seasons of Game of Thrones.

Brake played the lead role of Bob Reid in Perfect Skin and had numerous supporting roles in his long acting career.

One of his best-known roles is Joe Chill, the murderer of Bruce Wayne’s parents in Batman Begins. He also played Corporal Portman in the film adaptation of Doom and Enrikas Dortlich in Hannibal Rising.

The role of Night King put Brake in the spotlight, but we can’t really recognize him because of the mask he wears on the show.

The Waif

Arya wanted to become one of the Faceless Men, so she traveled to the House of Black and White in Braavos. Young Stark had no idea that the vicious, heartless Waif would torture her.

We do not really know this girl; we do not know her past, why she wanted to kill Arya, or what brought her to the House of Black and White. All we could observe was that she was obedient to Jaqen H’ghar’s orders and appeared to be his student in some way.

Faye Marsay

The most well-known role of English actress Faye Marsay is that of Anne Neville in The White Queen. Marsay provided the voice for Amy in 2015’s Need for Speed online video game. She made appearances in the Black Mirror episode “Hated in the Nation” as Blue Colson and as the recurring character Candice in Fresh Meat.

Her most recent roles were in the film A Private War and the television series McMafia. Still, we believe that the gifted actress will always be associated with the vicious and cold-blooded Waif.

Wun Weg Wun Dar Wun

Given that Mag Mar Tun Doh Weg and Dongo perished at the Battle of Castle Black, Wun Wun, a giant who once resided in Hardhome, may have been the last giant in all of Westeros.

Wun Wun backed Jon Snow when he came to Hardhome to persuade the wildlings to follow him south. He made it out of the massacre at Hardhome and remained one of Jon’s biggest supporters afterward. He participated in the Battle of the Bastards as well, but sadly, he was not victorious this time.

Ian Whyte

The fact that Ian Whyte, the actor who portrayed Wun Wun, is actually 7’1″ tall and was once a basketball player, probably will not surprise you.

The fact that this Welsh stuntman and actor has portrayed the most characters in Game of Thrones may pique your curiosity more. In the first two seasons of the show, he played a White Walker, and in the second, he took on the role of Ser Gregor Clegane, also known as The Mountain. In season three, he played an unidentified giant before playing Wun Wun to wrap up his time on the show.

Who knows, perhaps he will also appear in season eight?

Lyanna Mormont

The audience went completely crazy for young Lyanna Mormont when she was first introduced in the seventh episode of the sixth season.

As the leader of House Mormont, Lyanna is the youthful Lady of Bear Island. Jon, Sansa, and Davos expected to find an innocent ten-year-old girl when they approached Lyanna to persuade her to enlist in their army to fight Ramsey Bolton. Rather, they encountered a fierce little woman who subjected them to a torturous interrogation before deciding to assist them.

Bella Ramsey

Bella Ramsey, a young, gifted actress, played her first role as the ferocious little Lyanna Mormont. She did such an amazing work and left a strong impression on the viewers that she immediately became a star.

The youthful Ramsey admitted to being unsure of what the public would think of her performance to Metro UK. “When it was revealed, I was terrified because I thought everyone would detest me for what I had done and dislike Lyanna. I was afraid I would come across negatively. It surprised me much that people enjoyed my performance.”

Tommen Baratheon

Following the poisoning death of his elder brother Joffrey, Tommen Baratheon, the youngest of Cersei Lannister’s children, ascended to the throne. But Tommen was modest, courteous, and caring, not like his cruel brother. He was not a great king, but he was a good man because of all these attributes. Many, including his mother, the High Sparrow, and his grandfather Tywin Lannister, attempted to take advantage of Tommen’s innocence and ease of manipulation.

Dean Charles Chapman

The young English actor Dean Charles Chapman already had his share of big roles before he joined the cast of Game of Thrones. In addition to starring as Castor in the drama series Into the Badlands, he performed as Billy Elliot in the West End production of Billy Elliot the Musical and as the main character in the sitcom The Revolting World of Stanley Brown.

Chapman has a fascinating side story: prior to taking the throne as Tommen Baratheon, the actor was Martyn Lannister in Game of Thrones. In case you missed it, during season three, Robb’s army captured Martyn and his brother Willem Lannister as hostages.

High Sparrow

High Sparrow, a man whose name we do not know, is the leader of the religious sect known as the Sparrows. He presents himself as a modest, devout, and wise man. He is compassionate and cares about the common people – or at least he says so.

However, as he held Margaery Tyrell, Ser Loras Tyrell, and Cercei captive in season six, we were able to witness his villainous side. He tried to manipulate King Tommen but was eventually stopped when Cersei blew up the Great Sept of Baelor and killed him.

Jonathan Pryce

Well-known Welsh actor Jonathan Pryce is renowned for his adaptable acting style. We’ve seen him in movies like Evita, Tomorrow Never Dies and Pirates of the Caribbean. In addition, Pryce is well-known for his theatrical work and has two Tony Awards.

The actor revealed that he was taken aback by the responses from fans when his character was killed off. “It surprised me when it was eventually shown on TV how many people said what a terrible man he was. I hadn’t for one minute thought he was the bad guy.”

Grey Worm

A formidable warrior in the Unsullied’s elite army is Grey Worm. After Daenerys Targaryen took possession of this army from the Masters of Astapor, he was selected to be its commander. As one of Daenerys’ closest advisors and protector, he plays a crucial role in the narrative.

We have seen how his and Missandei’s relationship has grown over time. Grey Worm and her have been learning the common tongue together, and they quickly fall in love.

Jacob Anderson

Jacob Anderson is a British actor who’s still mostly recognized as Grey Worm from Game of Thrones. Since Anderson has a passion for acting in addition to being a humble and innocent record producer and rapper in real life, there is a good chance that things will remain that way. And quite a good one, too. His debut album, You are a Man Now, Boy, was released in 2016 and has garnered excellent reviews. The actor also looks a bit different off screen – he has a beard.

Tormund Giantsbane

One of the funnier and most beloved characters on the show is Tormund. But do not be duped—he is a well-known warrior with amazing strength, making him one of the Free Folk’s leading men. As he fought alongside Jon Snow and assisted him in negotiating with the wildlings, Tormund was a crucial character in the narrative.

When Tormund first saw Brienne of Tarth, the woman of his dreams, he was a part of several amusing scenes. Although we are not sure if his seductive glances at Brienne will pay off, we still want them to be together.

Kristofer Hivju

Actor, producer, and writer Kristofer Hivju is from Norway. He rose to fame playing the part of Tormund in this hit series. You also might remember him as Connor Rhodes from The Fate of the Furious.

Hiyju opened up about how he plays his character in Game of Thrones. “For Tormund, I always go with the Rocky Balboa in Rocky IV. Rocky goes into the woods and chops wood and lifts trees, but Dolph Lundgren is running in a fitness center with barometers all over his body when he has to face him. So that’s how I get in my wildling mood.”

Bran Stark

When Bran Stark was younger, he enjoyed scaling the Winterfell walls. That is, until Jamie Lannister shoved him through a tall window. He became unable to walk, and just when we assumed he would not play a significant role in the plot, he became the most important character on the show.

Because Bran is a warg—a person who can enter other people’s minds—he evolved into the Three-Eyed Raven. In the fight against the Night King and the White Walkers, his abilities will be extremely important.

Isaac Hempstead Wright

English actor Isaac Hempstead Wright received a nomination for a Young Artist Award for his portrayal of Bran Stark, which was his first significant role.

Prior to his withdrawal from the University of Birmingham, Hempstead Wright was a math and music student. But after the show, he intends to go back to college to pursue a degree in neuroscience.

“Even though I have been on this massive machine for a while, my life is still just getting started. I was so young when I fell into it that I had no idea where I was going or what I was doing.”

Hodor

Hodor is a charming giant who works in the stables at Winterfell. He can only speak one word, which is his own name. Even though he does not initially appear to be a major character, he is a vital component of the narrative. Without Hodor’s assistance, how would Bran make it all the way to the Wall and north?

Despite his lack of speech, he is one of the most adored characters on the show, and his passing devastated the fans. However, prior to that, we did learn in a tragic scene that Hodor is short for “hold the door,” which is what Bran was asked to do as a teenager and which ultimately saved his life.

Kristian Nairn

While playing Hodor, Kristian Nairn rose to fame; however, he channeled that fame into his music career. Nairn is actually a DJ from Northern Ireland.

When questioned about how difficult it is to play a character who speaks just one word the entire time, Nairn replied. He stated, “Being authentic is essential to playing Hodor; you can not express yourself verbally unless you put yourself in the shoes of the character. You had to truly put yourself in the situation and use body language even though you only had one word to say.”

Tyrion Lannister

One of the most significant characters in the show is the intelligent, inebriated Tyrion Lannister. Above all, he is the funniest man in Westeros, and his sharp mind and charm have won him a lot of admirers.

He was acting as Queen Daenerys’ Hand when we last saw him. Even though it would mean fighting his brother and sister, he was trying to help her win her home country.

Peter Dinklage

Before he was cast as Tyrion Lannister on Game of Thrones, Peter Dinklage had a well-established career. The list of movies he appeared in is very long, some of them being Death at a Funeral, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, X-Men: Days of Future Past and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.

Dinklage won three of the seven Primetime Emmys that he was nominated for for his portrayal of Tyrion.

His costume was the only drastic change he underwent for the well-known role.

Sansa Stark

Sansa Stark is Lord Ned Stark’s second child and oldest daughter. She had a dream of becoming a queen and marrying a prince since she was a young child.

Sansa took great pleasure in all things “lady-like,” including sewing, singing, dancing, poetry, literature, manners, and music.

Once she arrived in King’s Landing and her father was killed, all of her naive and impressionable dreams crumbled. Sansa endured many misfortunes; she was imprisoned by Ramsey, the most deranged person in the world, as well as the Lannisters. However, these hardships have strengthened her, and in the end, she assisted Jon in regaining Winterfell.

Sophie Turner

Sophie Turner is an English actress and one of the young actors who grew up on the set of Game of Thrones. Her acting debut helped her land other noteworthy roles and gained her international recognition.

Turner appeared in movies such as The Thirteenth Tale, Another Me and in the action comedy Barely Lethal. The actress portrayed the young Jean Grey in X-Men: Apocalypse and reprised the role in Dark Phoenix.

Turner’s on-screen sister Maisie Williams is best friends with Turner.

Eddard (Ned) Stark

The primary character of the first season of the show, Ned Stark, was the leader of House Stark and the Lord of Winterfell.

He was a man of honor, decency, intelligence, and military prowess. For this reason, Robert Baratheon invited him to take up the position of Hand of the King at King’s Landing.

At last, Ned’s strong sense of duty claimed his life. Joffrey executed him for telling the truth – that Cersei’s children are not actually Robert’s, but Jaime Lannister’s.

Sean Bean

When Sean Bean’s character was eliminated at the conclusion of season one, did you find it surprising? If so, you most likely do not know much about Bean’s career because he is a well-known actor who rarely survives to see the conclusion of most of his films. For twenty years, he has been dying repeatedly. Goldeneye, The Island, The Lord of the Rings, Equilibrium, The Hitcher – these are just some of the movies where he was killed in the most brutal ways.

Jokes aside, we were devastated to see Bean leave the show because he was the most well-known cast member.

Catelyn Stark

Catelyn Stark, the wife of Ned Stark, was the center of this aristocratic family. She was a loving mother who frequently showed her children a lot of protection. She went to King’s Landing to investigate the man who attempted to kill Bran. Catelyn supported her son Rob and gave him advice when he raised an army and launched a war to free his father. Though perhaps not smart enough to foresee the unlucky circumstances that would result in her demise at the Red Wedding, she was intelligent.

Michelle Fairley

Originally from Northern Ireland, Michelle Fairley was a well-known actress before being cast in the Catelyn Stark role. Her roles as Dr. Ava Hessington on the hit television series Suits and terrorist Margot Al-Harazi in 24: Live Another Day may be familiar to you. Fairley also appeared in movies such as Philomena, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and In the Heart of the Sea.

The actress appears nearly identical in real life, so it seems likely that she is a wonderful person—just like Catelyn.

Khal Drogo

The Dothraki are a fierce warrior tribe that roams the continent of Essos, which lies east of Westeros. Their leader is Khal Drogo. A legendary warrior who has never lost a fight is Drogo.

He wed Daenerys Targaryen because he was looking for a lovely wife. Since they do not speak the same language, they have trouble interacting. After learning some Dothraki, Daenerys and the dragon fell in love. Drogo died at the end of season one.

Jason Momoa

The focus is currently on American actor Jason Mamoa because he plays Aquaman in the DC Extended Universe. He portrayed the lead in Conan the Barbarian, among many other noteworthy TV series, including Frontier and Stargate Atlantis.

Unexpectedly, Mamoa found it extremely difficult to get roles following Game of Thrones because most people assumed he did not speak English. “He is not funny, he does not speak English, and he just hurts people. What do you do with that? It was a little difficult after because I did a good job portraying that character. People would literally say, ‘Wow, you speak English’”, said Mamoa.

Samwell Tarly

Charmingly clumsy Samwell Tarly is one the most important characters in our favorite TV show. Sam’s father forced him to join the Night’s Watch because he found him useless – he was overweight and fragile and he was never a warrior. This is also why other recruits on the Wall attacked him, and the only person who understood and protected him was Jon Snow.

Thanks to his cunning, Sam has overcome great adversity to emerge as a genuine hero over the past seven seasons, and we anticipate that he will be vital to the fight against the Night King.

John Bradley

One could argue that English actor John Bradley resembles his character from Game of Thrones perfectly, with the exception of his better attire in real life, but that is just normal, right?

Bradley’s biggest break came from playing Sam Tarly. In fact, he made his first-ever audition for the part three months after graduating from drama school.

The actor has also made appearances in the TV series Patient Zero (2018), *Merlin, *Shameless*, and Borgia.

Jaime Lannister

One of the main characters of the show is Jaime Lannister, who is a member of the Kingsguard, Cersei’s twin brother, her lover, and the father of her offspring. They were inseparable until Cersei’s ambitions drove her mad.

“His life has been lived on Cersei’s terms. His whole life has been close to this woman: how do I serve her, how do I keep this secret. Actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau stated, “I think he comes to a point when he suddenly has to rethink that way of life. It is all been about her, and it still is.

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau is a Danish actor, producer, and screenwriter who has acted in many films both in his home country of Scandinavia and the US. His breakthrough role was in the movie Nightwatch and his first US movie was Black Hawk Down.

His portrayal of Jamie Lannister in Game of Thrones was so outstanding that it earned him a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor.

In addition to his support of important causes like gender equality and climate change, Coster-Waldau is a UNDP Goodwill Ambassador.