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.
