‘Game Of Thrones’: What The Cast Looked Like In Season 1 vs. Now

By Meghan O'Keefe @megsokay

Published March 21, 2019, 8:00 a.m. ET

collage of daenerys targaryen/emilia clarke and cersei lannister/lena headey — Photos: Getty Images, HBO ; Illustration: Dillen Phelps

Side by side of Ned Stark and Sean Bean — **Ned Stark, played by Sean Bean**
**Where Are They Now?:** Although he only lasted one season on *Game of Thrones*, Sean Bean continues to work in shows like *The Frankenstein Chronicles*, *The Oath*, and the upcoming *Curfew* and *World on Fire*.Photos: HBO/Getty Images

Side by side of Catelyn Stark and Michelle Fairley — **Catelyn Stark, played by Michelle Fairley**
**Where Are They Now?:** Michelle Fairley recently starred opposite Jodie Comer in Starz's *The White Princess* and will appear in Amazon's new series *The Feed* later this year.Photos: HBO/Getty Images

Side by side of Robb Stark and Richard Madden — **Robb Stark, played by Richard Madden**
**Where Are They Now?:** Scottish actor Richard Madden is enjoying something of a career bump since starring in Netflix's critically acclaimed *Bodyguard*, which won Madden a Golden Globe. Soon he'll star in the Elton John biopic *Rocketman*. Photos: HBO/Getty Images

Side by side of Jon Snow and Kit Harington — **Jon Snow, played by Kit Harington**
**Where Are They Now?:** Harington is now married IRL to *Game of Thrones* co-star Rose Leslie and on the press circuit for the final season of *Game of Thrones*. He'll be hosting *Saturday Night Live* on April 6.Photos: HBO/Getty Images

Side by side of Sansa Stark and Sophie Turner — **Sansa Stark, played by Sophie Turner**
**Where Are They Now?:** Like Kit Harington, Sophie Turner will be returning to *Game of Thrones* for the final season. She's also set to reprise the role of Jean Grey in *Dark Phoenix* and is engaged to Joe Jonas IRL. (She also recently chugged wine at a Rangers game.)Photos: HBO/Getty Images

Side by side of Arya Stark and Maisie Williams — **Arya Stark, played by Maisie Williams**
**Where Are They Now?:** Well, besides rocking pink hair, Williams has two films set for release this year, *Then Came You* and *The New Mutants*. She'll also be in the final season of *Game of Thrones*. Photos: HBO/Getty Images

Side by side of Bran Stark and Isaac Hempstead-Wright — **Bran Stark, played by Isaac Hempstead Wright**
**Where Are They Now?:** Hempstead Wright isn't doing much acting outside of playing Bran on *Game of Thrones*, but that might be because he has been trying to juggle a college education with his acting career. Photos: HBO/Getty Images

Side by side of Rickon Stark and Art Parkinson — **Rickon Stark, played by Art Parkinson**
**Where Are They Now?:** Even though Rickon perished at the Battle of the Bastards, actor Art Parkinson is doing alright for himself. Only 17, he's starred in the Rock film *San Andreas* and voiced Kubo in *Kubo and the Two Strings*.Photos: HBO/Getty Images

Side by side of King Robert and Mark Addy — **King Robert Baratheon, played by Mark Addy**
**Where Are They Now?:** You may have heard Mark Addy's voice in *Mary Poppins Returns*, where he played Clyde the Horse. Also, Addy's been racking up a ton of TV credits, most recently appearing in *Doctor Who* and a 2019 episode of *Vera*.Photos: HBO/Getty Images

Side by side of Cersei and Lena Headey — **Queen Cersei Lannister, played by Lena Headey**
**Where Are They Now?:** When she's not sipping wine in King's Landing, Lena Headey is doing voice work for shows like *Danger Mouse, Trollhunters,* and *Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles*. Most recently, she starred in the utterly charming wrestling dramedy *Fighting with my Family*. Photos: HBO/Getty Images

Side by side of Jaime and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau — **Ser Jaime Lannister, played by Nikolaj Coster-Waldau**
**Where Are They Now?:** While Jaime is making his way to the cold climes of Westeros's North, Coster-Waldau is going to be in sunny Los Angeles starring in a production of *Macbeth* later this year. Photos: HBO/Getty Images

Side by side of Tyrion Lannister and Peter Dinklage — **Tyrion Lannister, played by Peter Dinklage**
**Where Are They Now?:** Emmy winner Peter Dinklage has been mostly busy with *Game of Thrones* for the last 8 years, but he will be doing voice work in the upcoming animated features *The Angry Birds Movie 2* and *The Croods 2*. Photos: HBO/Getty Images

Side by side of Prince Joffrey and Jack Gleeson — **Prince Joffrey Baratheon, played by Jack Gleeson**
**Where Are They Now?:** So here's something kind of interesting. The photo on the right is actually from 2014. That's when Gleeson left *Game of Thrones* and retired from acting to focus on academia. He has appeared in puppetry shows, though. Photos: HBO/Getty Images

Side by side of Theon Greyjoy and Alfie Allen — **Theon Greyjoy, played by Alfie Allen**
**Where Are They Now?:** Alfie Allen has kept busy since *Game of Thrones* Season 8 wrapped. He'll next appear in Taika Waititi's follow up to *Thor: Ragnorak*, *Jojo Rabbit*, and star in the big screen adaptation of Cailin Moran's *How to Build a Girl*. Photos: HBO/Getty Images

Side by side of Viserys and Harry Lloyd — **Viserys Targaryen, played by Harry Lloyd**
**Where Are They Now?:** Harry Lloyd didn't last long on *Game of Thrones*, but that just means he's been able to appear in a slew of awesome projects. He most recently starred in Starz's *Counterpart* and has been cast as Professor X in *Legion*.Photos: HBO/Getty Images

Side by side of Daenerys and Emilia Clarke — **Daenerys Targaryen, played by Emilia Clarke**
**Where Are They Now?:** Emilia Clarke is still reigning as the Khaleesi on *Game of Thrones* and has crossed over to the Star Wars universe in the prequel film *Solo: A Star Wars Story*. Later this year, she'll co-star opposite Henry Golding in Paul Feig's London-based romcom *Last Christmas*. Photos: HBO/Getty Images

Side by side of Khal Drogo and Jason Momoa — **Khal Drogo, played by Jason Momoa**
**Where Are They Now?:** Well, he's Aquaman. Actually, Momoa is way more than just a DC superhero right now. He's also the star of Netflix's *Frontier* and one of Apple's upcoming streaming projects *See*. Photos: HBO/Getty Images

Side by side of Ser Jorah and Iain Glen — **Ser Jorah Mormont, played by Iain Glen**
**Where Are They Now?:** In addition to his work on *Game of Thrones*, Glen is in PBS's *Mrs. Wilson* and will be the narrator of upcoming animated film *Ice Age: Return of the Mammoth*. Photos: HBO/Getty Images

Side by side of Ros and Esme Bianco — **Ros, played by Esmé Bianco**
**Where Are They Now?:** After leaving *Game of Thrones* in season 3, Esme Bianco bounced around shows like *The Magicians* and *Supergirl*. She also is the voice of Eclipsa Butterfly in *Star vs. the Forces of Evil*.Photos: HBO/Getty Images

Side by side of The Hound and Rory McCann — **The Hound, played by Rory McCann**
**Where Are They Now?:** Scottish actor Rory McCann hasn't been doing a lot outside of *Game of Thrones*, but we think that's by choice. He's apparently fond of living a transient life on the fringes. Photos: HBO/Getty Images

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Game of Thrones has been a part of our lives since 2011. That’s when the show’s very first episode, “Winter is Coming” landed on HBO, introducing us to the honorable Starks, incestuous Lannisters, and one bewitching young woman married off to a Dothraki Khal. Back then, only a few of the actors on the show had anything approaching mainstream stardom. Sean Bean, Peter Dinklage, and Lena Headey had all popped up in major films, but no one had heard of newcomers like Kit Harington and Emilia Clarke, since they were cast straight out of drama school.

Today, in 2019, the Game of Thrones cast is world famous and more in demand than ever before. Emilia Clarke is a member of the Star Wars universe, the Stark sisters — Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams — are both X-Men, and Jason Momoa is Aquaman. It’s exciting, but also jarring to look at the Game of Thrones Episode 1 cast as they appeared back then versus how they look now. In some cases, it’s a matter of how much wigs and make up transform the performers on the show, but in others, it’s wild to see how much the young cast has grown up.

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Here’s our nostalgic look back at the original cast of Game of Thrones as they appeared in 2011 compared to how they look — and where their careers are — now. Warning: Rickon Stark is grown.

Game of Thrones Season 8 premieres on HBO on April 14.

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