Season 8 of the hit HBO series Game of Thrones is finally set for a return in April 2019, and fans are speculating wildly on how the show will end until the final episode airs next year.
The first episode premiered almost a decade ago back in 2011, and the series has won countless Emmys, TCA awards, and Screen Actors Guild awards over the years—and rightfully so. This dark fantasy draws people in with its cutthroat vibe, brutal action, mythical creatures, and layered personal drama. But anyone who loves GOT knows that the series wouldn’t be nearly as popular without its full cast of complex, ever-evolving female characters. It’s one of the highlights of the series, and these actresses provide the backbone of what makes HBO’s epic so addicting.
Here, we’ve highlighted some of our favorite actresses Game of Thrones has to offer.
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Lena Headey
GOT Character: Cersei Lannister
Lena Headey is the de facto boss on Game of Thrones, and she’s turned Cersei Lannister into one of the biggest badasses on TV, in general. Headey’s been in the acting business since she was 17 years old and clearly doesn’t plan on slowing down. Prior to GOT, we’ve seen her in flicks like The Jungle Book, The Brothers Grimm, and Dredd. We’ll miss her icy demeanor when the show ends next year.
Sibel Kekili didn’t initially have any Hollywood aspirations, but was thrown into the business when she was discovered by a movie casting director. Kekili’s empathetic portrayal of Shae quickly made her a favorite among fans until her jaw-dropping betrayal and untimely (and shocking) demise. In addition to GOT, she’s also on the show Tatort, a German police drama.
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Gwendoline Christie
GOT Character: Brienne of Tarth
Gwendoline Christie’s Brienne is a throwback to the types of characters played by Brigitte Nielsen and Grace Jones, where physical and emotional strength combined for a unique onscreen presence. Christie is a master of bringing Brienne’s complicated blend of brawn, vulnerability, and charm to life. With Game of Thrones comfortably under her belt, we wouldn’t mind seeing her Captain Phasma role in the Star Wars movies get some more love.
Jessica Henwick may be a relatively new face in Hollywood, but she’s already landed a few serious roles, having appeared in Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Iron Fist, which is part of the sprawling Marvel Cinematic Universe. And in none of them has she been a damsel in distress; instead, she’s been a warrior, a star pilot, and a superhero. Now that’s a trifecta of franchises to star in, eh?
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Rose Leslie
GOT Character: Ygritte
Rose Leslie as the strong, feisty Ygritte quickly became a fan favorite and gave birth to one of the most iconic GOT quotes: You know nothing, Jon Snow. It was no wonder that Jon fell so hard for her, and almost died for it. Their onscreen chemistry was real—the two actors married in real life in the summer of 2018. To prepare for the role, Leslie actually took archery lessons to make her character movements look more believable. What’s believable is that no one wants to be on the wrong end of her quiver.
Sophie Turner’s been a mainstay on the show since the beginning—no small feat for a show that offs main characters like livestock. As a child, she passed up the opportunity to be in the Royal Ballet School and decided to pursue her acting career instead. Over the course of the show, she’s turned Sansa from a skittish child with designs of becoming a princess into a mature, conniving potential queen who could give Cersei Lannister a run for her money. Turner has parlayed her GOT success into another mega-franchise by appearing as Jean Grey in X-Men: Apocalypse and the upcoming Dark Phoenix.
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Carice van Houten
GOT Character: Melisandre
To American film fans, Carice van Houten may be a bit of an unknown, but this 42-year-old Dutch actress is already very accomplished, having won five Dutch Golden Calf awards for acting. Her range as a performer is always on full display in Game of Thrones. As the seductive red priestess Melisandre, she has shown how cutthroat she can be for her beliefs and the broken down shell she can become when they turn on her.
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Natalie Dormer
GOT Character: Margaery Tyrell
In addition to playing the calculating Margaery Tyrell, Natalie Dormer has also appeared in the series The Tudors, Elementary, and has also voiced a character in Mass Effect: Andromeda.
This British actress has been coming into her own over the last few years. She’s appeared in Furious 7, The Fate of the Furious, and Maze Runner: The Death Cure. She famously learned that she landed the role of Daenerys Targaryen’s right-hand woman Missandei while she was working as an assistant in a clothing store.
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Emilia Clarke
GOT Character: Daenerys Targaryen
Prior to her role in GOT, Clarke began her acting career in theater and transitioned into commercials before landing her most notable role as “Daenerys Stormborn of the House Targaryen, First of Her Name, the Unburnt, Queen of the Andals and the First Men, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, Breaker of Chains, and Mother of Dragons.” Another original character who has managed to outsmart death, Daenerys has evolved from Khal Drogo’s timid bride to a badass dragon-riding, slave-freeing, kingdom-conquering queen. She continues to make her way into other blockbuster franchises, having just appeared in Solo: A Star Wars Story.
Natalia Tena made a name for herself with roles in two iconic fantasy franchises: as Nymphadora Tonks from the Harry Potter films and as Osha, a captured Free Folk who becomes loyal to the Starks in Game of Thrones. You can also catch her in the new YouTube Premium show, Origin.
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Maisie Williams
GOT Character: Arya Stark
No character—or actress, for that matter—has evolved quite like Arya Stark. She’s an unconventional female hero who has grown from an uncertain, restless child to a confident, face-changing, knife-fighting assassin who will stop at nothing to get revenge. And it’s all thanks to Maisie Williams, who pulls the role off perfectly.
