The Game Of Thrones Characters You Want to Meet in Real Life

Game of Thrones Season Five ended with a … uh… we are not sure what to call it yet, although it was certainly jam-packed full of more cliffhangers than we wanted. Of course between now and the new season premiere in April 2016, we need a serious Game of Thrones fix.

So, without spoiling anything, the ladies at Stay At Home Mum have decided to take a bit of a walk through our favourite GoT characters, and find out who they really are off-screen.

Cersei Lannister is Lena Headley

The most distinct change between the on-set character and the off-set real person is Lena Headley’s hair! While Cersei sports an enormous, flowing blonde wig that (until the last episode) is regularly wrestled into a manner of different ‘Westerosi’ styles, Lena Headley has a stylish short crop and is a brunette. You may have seen Headley before in some of her other works, including the 300 films, Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, Dredd, The Purge and many more. Unlike her uptight character on GoT, Headley is known for her passion for ink, and has a number of large tattoos.

Tyrion Lannister is Peter Dinklage

If you’ve never seen Peter Dinklage outside his role as Tyrion Lannister, you might be in for a bit of a shock. The main differences here aren’t with what you see, but what you hear. Although he sounds convincingly British in origin (or the Westerosi version of British), Dinklage is actually American!

Acting since youth, Dinklage has a long list of past works, including Death At A Funeral and X-Men: Days of Future Past. He is married to Erica Schmidt, a theatre director, and they have a daughter together. Cute!

Arya Stark is Maisie Williams

For Maisie Williams, the actress behind the powerhouse character of Arya Stark, her role on Game of Thrones was actually one of her first. It shot her into the spotlight, and unlike her GoT character, Maisie seems to love it. The biggest difference between the two is while Arya tries hard to blend into the background with plain clothes and her tom-boy persona, Maisie Williams shines on the red carpet. She’s just turned 18, has a serious passion for fashion, and will no doubt be gracing our screens long into the future.

Jon Snow is Kit Karington

Jon Snow has captured the hearts of viewers with his luscious curls and stoic nature, but in real life his alter-ego Kit Harington is much more playful. As written in his contract, Harington’s hair must remain a certain length, so we know the curls were there to stay, (although we may not see his luscious locks any longer).

Kit Harington is often heard in his interviews poking fun at the callous way that characters are killed off on the show, but his comments are always appreciated by his leagues of fans. His filmography is still pretty thin, and includes Pompeii and a few upcoming releases this year and next..

Daenerys Targaryen is Emilia Clarke

The biggest difference between the stunning presence of Daenerys Targaryen and her real life persona Emilia Clarke is the hair. While Dani rocks the white blonde locks (paired with very contrasting eyebrows), Emilia Clarke is a natural brunette.

But she’s just as stunning, and even funnier in reality than her role allows as the slave-freeing queen on Game of Thrones. Emilia is most known for her work on GoT, but she also has a starring role in Terminator: Genisys.

Theon Greyjoy is Alfie Allen

When Theon Greyjoy shuffles onto our screens in a Game of Thrones episode as the pitiful Reek, we all feel for him. It’s partially pity, but there’s disgust in there as well.

Now, although Theon is unlikable character, in reality he is Alfie Allen, little brother of singer Lily Allen. Are you seeing the resemblance? With those chiselled cheekbones and piercing eyes, he is starting to make a name for himself, and is much cleaner than he appears on GoT. Alfie has a few small character roles under his belt in works like Atonement and The Other Boleyn Girl.

Sansa Stark is Sophie Turner

In the early seasons Sansa Stark infuriated us a little bit with her naivety and how enamoured she was with Joffrey, who was clearly a psychopath. But as Game of Thrones has progressed, Sansa has grown into a totally different person, stronger and more capable than before.

One big difference between her and Sophie Turner, the actress behind her, is those lovely locks. Although Sansa is stunning with auburn hair, she’s actually a natural blonde! But we don’t get to see that too often, as she’s quite partial (and looks amazing) with an auburn mane. Sophie has done some other film work, including in The Thirteenth Tale and upcoming Barely Lethal.

Who is your favourite Game of Thrones character?