As many of you might know, Game of Thrones was actually a book series long before it made its way to our screens. While book one is called A Game of Thrones, the series is named A Song of Ice and Fire, and it’s the work of George R. R. Martin. Now, let’s see what else the show changed — here’s how the characters should have looked according to their book description, as fed to AI, vs. the actors who played them.
Varys
Played masterfully by Conleth Hill, Lord Varys quickly became a character of note thanks to his work as the Master of Whispers. His shifting loyalties and enigmatic ways made fans weary of trusting him – and often for good reason.
Thanks to this AI rendition, we can pretty safely say that the casting department did a fantastic job both visually and acting-wise. Fun fact, Conleth Hill also supplied his voice in the 2012 video game based on the show.
Daenerys Targaryen
Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen, the First of Her Name, Queen of the Andals and the First Men, Protector of the Seven Kingdoms, the Mother of Dragons, the Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, the Unburnt, the Breaker of Chains. Impressive!
But did you know that the show actually gave her a pretty extreme growth spurt? At the beginning of the book, she’s only 13 (yes, even when she’s sold as a bride). Thankfully, the showrunners decided that was one taboo they weren’t going to touch.
Tywin Lannister
As we well know from him, “A Lannister always pays his debts” — that’s definitely not someone you want to mess with! Looks like the showrunners understood that and made him surprisingly similar to his literary counterpart.
You have to admit that Charles Dance strikes a surprising resemblance to the AI photo, and, of course, his portrayal of Tywin is just as ruthless and cunning. Interestingly, in both the books and the show, he meets his demise at the hands of his son on a porcelain throne.
Jaqen H’ghar
You’d think a fantasy hitman would rather look less conspicuous, but the faceless man known as Jaqen H’ghar apparently prefers aesthetics over anonymity. Seriously, who’s going to not notice a dude with hair that’s half red, half white?
At least in the show, where he’s played by Tom Wiaschiha, they choose a more subtle approach to this impressive look — only giving him a small white patch. Fun fact, in the book, Arya is reminded of Syrio Forel when she looks at him, giving grounds to a fan theory that they may be the same person.
Lysa Arryn
Who can forget when the internet went into an uproar over the show having Lysa Arryn, portrayed by Kate Dickie, nurse her child, Robin? It was truly disturbing and exactly on brand for the show.
In the books, however, she’s described nothing like Dickie’s portrayal. Book Lysa is described as having been “once beautiful,” but has since turned “thick and puffy due to pregnancy issues.” She does, however, probably have the same judgmental look.
Jaime Lannister
Twin brother to Cerci and father of her children, Jamie Lannister quickly became a fan-favorite thanks to Nikolaj Coster-Waldau’s exceptional portrayal of the complex character. And he really is complex! While he’d do every dishonorable thing on earth to protect his family, he also somehow has impeccable knightly honor.
Amazingly, they also pretty much nailed the character physically — except for his age (which should be about 30), Nikolaj pretty much fits the AI photo. Is it any wonder that people were so annoyed by his fate in season eight after his character arch?
Ygritte
Okay, so with this one, we actually take a small issue with the AI photo. You see, in the books, Ygritte is supposed to be about 19, but, as you can see, she looks about 12. They did get her wild hair and crooked teeth right, though.
Rose Leslie, of course, plays her beautifully. Maybe a bit too beautiful, though. In the books, Jon Snow actually doesn’t think she’s all that attractive. While Ygritte and Jon didn’t end up together on the show, we’re so happy that Rose and Kit Harington are together in real life.
Arya Stark
We bet if you ask fans of the show who their favorite character was, many of them would quickly say Arya Stark. But it’s not just Maisie Williams’s amazing performance — the character herself is pretty interesting, in our opinion.
If you haven’t read the books yet, keep in mind that Arya’s story is a whole lot darker. Although she’s only nine when the books begin, as she goes on her journey of vengeance, she loses her humanity.
Myrcella Baratheon
Considering her horrid brother and devious parents, it’s a true wonder that the words that best describe Myrcella Baratheon are “sweet and innocent.” We definitely think that actresses Aimee Richardson (seasons 1-2) and Nell Tiger Free (seasons 5-6) captured that essence pretty flawlessly.
Unsurprisingly, her character was also aged up to match the other kids (in the books, she’s only 11 when sent to Dorne). Also, as the books progress, it becomes clear that she’s incredibly smart. Luckily, in the books, she’s yet to meet the same fate as her show counterpart.
Brienne of Tarth
We honestly believe that more than just movie magic was used to somehow turn the breathtakingly beautiful Gwendoline Christie into Brienne of Tarth for the show. Yet, even after that physical transformation, she still doesn’t fully resemble the book’s description.
Honestly, though, we don’t care — Christie’s performance as the female knight is so captivating and well done that we wouldn’t have traded it for anyone else. Is it any wonder that she’s many fans’ favorite character?
Cersei Lannister
Without a doubt, Cersei Lannister is one of the most interesting characters in Game of Thrones, in which she’s often painted as the villain. Cunning, ambitious, and vindictive are her main defining characteristics, along with her “love” for her children.
While, of course, there are plenty of changes to the plot between the show and the books, we think that in Cersei’s case, Lena Headey managed to get much of her personality across — including her insatiable hunger for power. Amazingly, though, in the books, she’s even stupider and more paranoid in her actions.
Melisandre
In Melisandre’s case, the show did a surprisingly good job keeping both her personality and plot on par with the books (until the show diverged from the text, of course). In both, the Red Witch is a mysterious figure.
Glaringly, Carice van Houten is missing Melisandre’s red eyes, but we absolutely understand why the production decided not to hide van Houten’s striking blue eyes behind lenses. So, pretty good job staying true to the books on this one!
Gregor Clegane
The Mountain That Rides is probably one of the most intimidating characters on Game of Thrones — partially because, next to him, everyone looks like a child (even Brianne of Tarth).
In the books, of course, he’s described as just as freakishly tall and as violently brutal as his portrayal suggests. Interestingly, three different actors played this part on the show — Conan Stevens in the first season, Ian Whyte in the second, and Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson from season four onwards.
Petyr “Littlefinger” Baelish
Look, we know that the true big bad of the show is supposed to be the Night King (or Cersei, depending on who you want), but the one who truly makes our skin crawl is the manipulative and creepy Littlefinger.
Like in the show, Petyr develops a crush on Catelyn when they meet in their youth. He also later becomes obsessed with Sansa (possibly due to her resemblance to her mother). Did we already mention how sleazy this character is both on screen and in the book?
Sansa Stark
Fun fact — did you know that Sophie Turner ended up adopting the dog who played her direwolf, Lady, after the canine was killed on-screen? As for Turner’s role as the elder Stark sister, besides aging her up for the show, we’d say they got it spot on.
Just like her book counterpart, in the initial seasons, she was meek, whiny, and somewhat spoiled. Though, in the books, it’s easier to chalk it up to immaturity due to her younger age. Her fate in the books still remains a mystery.
Asha (Yara) Greyjoy
The most glaring difference between the version of the headstrong heir of the Iron Islands is the name change — while, in the books, she’s named Asha, the show changed her name to Yara, possibly to stop any confusion with Osha the Willding.
She’s also described as having “short black hair, a lean built, and a sharp beak nose,” which Gemma Whelan, who plays Yara, clearly doesn’t have. Besides those changes, though, the character has remained fairly close to the one in the books.
Jon Snow
Without a doubt, we all became pretty much obsessed with Jon Snow from the moment we saw him adopt Ghost (and not just because of how handsome and soulful Kit Harington looks). Of course, seeing him become a natural leader was also pretty impressive.
He’s also aged up from 14 in the books and, according to the books, looks more like Ned Stark than any of his supposed siblings. Unlike in the show, where Jon finally learns his parentage in the last season, in the world of the books, it’s still a mystery.
Loras Tyrell
Here’s why it isn’t always easy to adapt a book to the screen — you see, Loras Tyrell is described as having liquid gold eyes. Now, we don’t know about you, but we’ve never seen eyes that shade in real life.
Although Finn Jones doesn’t quite have golden eyes, we still think he does a good job portraying the handsome knight. Unlike the show, where he lost his life, in the books, he’s still clinging on.
Joffrey Baratheon
Just a reminder that although Joffrey Baratheon is an absolutely vomit-inducing character, that doesn’t mean that Jack Gleeson, who played him, is anything like that in real life. So, please don’t bully him just because you hate the character.
Honestly, it just means he did an exceptional job. Visually, of course, the casting is just as good. In this case, though, unlike the other characters who only got two more years, for some reason, Joffrey was aged up by four years.
Margaery Tyrell
Probably holding the show’s record of unconsummated marriages, Margaery Tyrell was played to perfection by the incredible Natalie Dormer. Unlike the Baratheon family, who she marries into, the Tyrells are a loving and close-knit family.
Like Joffery, Margaery was also aged up more than most of the other characters. But in this case, it’s due to the producers falling in love with Dormer’s audition portrayal and deciding to keep her, despite the age disparity.
