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Best Actors in Game of Thrones

Game of Thrones is a fantasy drama television series which has been adapted from the series of epic fantasy novels, titled A Song of Ice and Fire, written by George R. R. Martin and is being watched by millions all over the world. Its popularity since 2011 has been due to the strong storyline that tells about dragons, white walkers, and several other interesting things. In this fight on who would rule over the iron throne, every actor tries to put out his best, maintaining a strong character that has their own story. Without these actors, Game of Thrones wouldn’t have made it to season 8 which held people on suspense for 2 years.

Below is a list of 8 actors to watch out for in Game of Thrones. They bring their best game and do not falter in character. Game of Thrones fans would agree that despite the fact that they sometimes bear hatred for the roles they play, their acting has been top notch.

1. Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen

Emilia Clarke in an Instagram Selfie in February 2019
Emilia Clarke in an Instagram Selfie in February 2019 (Emilia Clarke / Instagram)

At the beginning of the series, we saw short scenes of a lady who was being sold off by her brother to the character named ‘Khal Drogo’ in an attempt to gain back the iron throne. She grew to love the man and was referred to as ‘Khaleesi’ and then eventually she became the mother of 3 dragons. After setting several cities free of slavery, she heads back to Dragonstone, the ancestral seat of House Targaryen, to plan to take back the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros. The journey of Daenerys has been quite an amazing and hectic one, but she managed to survive and stay on top of her game only to meet a treacherous end by her lover as well as her nephew, Jon Snow.

2. Kit Harington as Jon Snow

Kit Harington in Game of Thrones as seen on his Instagram in April 2019
Kit Harington in Game of Thrones as seen on his Instagram in April 2019 (Kit Harington / Instagram)

Kit Harington’s has been one of the loveable characters on the show. His role as the Bastard of Winterfell who always stays honest despite the circumstances is one which everyone enjoys. He rose from his mere status as a bastard and became the Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch and even came back to life after being betrayed by some of his people. He fell in love with a wildling who was killed in a battle and later he develops a romantic relationship with Daenerys Targaryen, who happens to be his aunt.

3. Maisie Williams as Arya Stark

Maisie Williams on her Instagram in April 2019
Maisie Williams on her Instagram in April 2019 (Maisie Williams / Instagram)

Arya is one of the strongest and most likable characters on the Game of Thrones. Maisie Williams started as a child actor at the age of 12 and gradually grew to become a better actress that everyone loves. Arya is the rebellious younger daughter of Eddard Stark who wants to be a soldier rather than a lady. She finally gets what she wants, although by passing through the hardest of times which included going blind for a while. Arya becomes a skilled swordsman, handling her thin sword which she names ‘needle’, as a metaphor to the needles that ladies use to do embroidery, with great skill. Maisie’s career is blooming and her role as Arya may be just what she needed to get her career off on a great start.

4. Alfie Allen as Theon Greyjoy

Alfie Allen in Game of Thrones as seen on his Instagram in March 2019
Alfie Allen in Game of Thrones as seen on his Instagram in March 2019 (Alfie Allen / Instagram)

Initially, Theon may not have seemed like the best pick but as the series progressed, we began to see more of Theon and understand what made his clock tick and his blood rush. Theon wasn’t just the ordinary son of Greyjoy who was adopted by the Starks. He was the one who wanted revenge on the Starks who had, in fact, helped him in several ways and even considered him a member of the family. He was also the one who was tormented greatly and had his male organ chopped off due to his poor decisions. Theon was the cowardly man who couldn’t help his sister when the time came for it. Despite all these, Theon develops the courage to face his worst fears. Alfie Allen has played this character much better than anyone that can be thought of for the role.

5. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Jaime Lannister

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau at the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con International
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau at the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con International (Gage Skidmore / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0)

Nikolaj was the freshly cut character from season 1 that everyone knew was having s*x with his twin sister and pushed a poor boy from the top of a tower and said: “The things we do for love”. The beautiful thing about this character was how proud he was of himself and all his accomplishments, including that of killing the last king whom he was supposed to protect with his life, till he lost his hand. How can the head of a king’s guard defend with one hand? Well, there is Ser Jaime Lannister, pulling his twin sister closer to him than ever when they lost their children, and even having s*x with her by the dead body of one. However, despite his love for his sister, he goes against her wishes to fight with the White Walkers. Nikolaj played a perfect role of someone who despite being greatly driven by the love for her sister, was also able to make sound decisions that required him to even go against her. The character development of Ser Jaime Lannister has been a delight to watch.

6. Lena Headey as Cersei Lannister

Lena Heady in an Instagram Selfie in January 2019
Lena Heady in an Instagram Selfie in January 2019 (Lena Heady / Instagram)

You can’t deny the talent this woman has displayed through her role as the woman who always craves for the crown so desperately even though she has no connection whatsoever to it. The actions of Cersei led to the death of her 3 children and she lived on after as the queen, what she desperately wanted but at the cost of her children. A woman who at one point of time decides to kill her 2 brothers because they don’t support her cause doesn’t deserve our praise, but we can’t possibly argue that the series would be anything without her. Let us not forget that those children, two of whom sat on the throne, are a product of incest with her brother Jaime Lannister. Despite the hatred that Cersei’s character develops, the sheer passion with which she holds her head high throughout the events has made her one of the best characters on the show.

7. Aidan Gillen as Petyr Baelish

Aidan Gillen as seen in May 2010
Aidan Gillen as seen in May 2010 (Aidan Gillen / Wikimedia / CC BY-SA 4.0))

Petyr Baelish, known popularly as Littlefinger, is one of the best actors in the show, and in a way, drives the entire plot. With his ability to easily manipulate and lie to people, Petyr has been termed by some as the protagonist of the series. He was the one who was behind the death of Jon Arryn, the hand of King Robert Baratheon. Petyr manipulated Arryn’s wife and Lady Stark’s sister, Lysa, to kill him. He loved Catelyn i.e. Lady Stark and helped her daughter, Sansa, escape the evil King Joffrey. His real motives behind his actions were never figured out. Aiden Gillen had been too brilliant in playing the role of Littlefinger.

8. Stephen Dillane as Stannis Baratheon

Stephen Dillane at the Dinard British Film Festival in October 2012
Stephen Dillane at the Dinard British Film Festival in October 2012 (Tiphaine Buccino / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0)

No one likes Stannis. He was the gullible guy that was responsible for the death of his brother for the claim over the throne. Throughout the series, his actions were driven by the guidance he received from the Red Woman who was always whispering into his ears. Everyone still thought he could make for a good king in replacement of the Lannisters that had taken over the throne but then he killed his daughter, sacrificing her to the God of Light. Dillane made the character an interesting one, sometimes liked and sometimes detested. He was later murdered by the woman named Brienne of Tarth who served his younger brother.

Featured Image by Kit Harington / Instagram

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