How the 'Game of Thrones' Stars Have Changed From Season 1 to 8

The English actress looked oh-so-innocent in white when she stepped out for the Game of Thrones panel during Comic-Con in 2011 because, well, she probably had no idea the horrors Daenerys Targaryen would see after seven years in Westeros.

Emilia, 32, made like Daenerys for a bit and dyed her hair white blonde, only to go back to brown after the series finished filming. The Mother of Dragons did, however, switch her look up with a cropped 'do -- bleach is really damaging, after all! 
 

You know nothing, Jon Snow, was most appropriate back when we first met Harington in 2011 (that's no knock on the actor, don't worry) -- but he sure looked good in a tux at HBO's Official Emmy after-party! 

Jon Snow's long, curly locks may be gone, but Kit's smile is bigger than ever! And while his character may have a rough go of it, the 32-year-old actor found love in Westeros! In real life, he wed former GoT castmate Rose Leslie, who played his on-screen love interest Ygritte in seasons four through six, in a gorgeous Scottish ceremony in June 2018. Kit recently admitted to Variety that he was torn about the Jon Snow look. "A huge part of my 20s are me with that look. My wedding pictures are me with that look. For a long time toward the end of Thrones, I felt like I wanted to be a new person but I was stuck in this shape," he told the outlet, but added that on the last day of shooting, "I took off the costume, and it felt like my skin was being peeled away. I was very emotional. It felt like someone was shedding me of something.”

Maisie made her television debut on Game of Thrones, filling in the big shoes of Arya Stark at just 14 years old.

She's all grown up! Maisie, 21, is now a fixture on the fashion week circuit, and she knows how to have some fun, too -- she's been rocking pink tresses as of late! She also checked off a major bucket list for many English actresses: an appearance on Doctor Who in 2015.

Similar to her real-life BFF and on-screen sister, Maisie Williams, the lady known as Sansa Stark made her professional acting debut in Game of Thrones at age 15. The fresh-faced, redheaded cutie's first big-screen role would come two years later, in 2013's Another Me.

Now blonde, the 23-year-old actress isn't afraid to speak up, and she's found her fashion voice as well, frequently turning menswear on its head. In her personal life, she's engaged to the middle JoBro, Joe Jonas.

"I think for the longest time I didn't have a real sense of myself," Sophie recently confessed to Glamour. "I had a bit of an identity crisis where I was playing all these people and I'd grown up faster than I probably should have done. I hadn't been able to experience university, or just spend a lot of time with friends, so for a while, I kept thinking, 'Who am I?' A lot of [my happiness now] is to do with being with a person I've fallen in love with, who loves me more than he loves himself, and who wants to see me find my own happiness. That was probably the biggest thing that pushed me to find who I am – and find my happiness in things other than acting."

When GoT debuted, the British actress was rocking super dark brown, chin-length locks and side-swept bangs, and she favored a smokey eye, a far cry from Cersei Lannister's (once) long blonde hair. 

Cersei has had one hell of a time, which has included taking over the kingdom, losing her children, that whole sleeping with her brother thing, and shorn hair. Though many see her character as a villain, the 45-year-old British actress has no qualms about having played the layered woman. "I love playing Cersei... She’s so layered, endlessly. Every time you think you know her, there’s another depth of insecurity or fury or resentment or drive or grief," Lena told Time in 2017. Lena's also had a second life as a voice actress, appearing in Danger Mouse, Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia and Rise of the Teenage Mutant Turtles. As for her hair? Quite a bit longer but only a little lighter!

Back in 2011, Nikolaj looked like a good ol' surfer dude! He actually had his breakthrough in his home country of Denmark in 1994's Nightwatch, seven years before he'd gain international recognition in GoT.

Playing Jaime Lannister on Game of Thrones has been the Danish actor's biggest role to date. And, at age 48, Nikolaj still looks like he could hit the waves, just with a slightly shorter 'do and grayer beard. 

One of the only American actors on GoT, Peter was also arguably the most recognizable face when the HBO drama debuted.

The 49-year-old Jersey boy has won a Golden Globe and three Emmys (out of seven consecutive nominations) for his portrayal of Tyrion Lannister. He's also continued to appear in films, including memorable roles in 2017's Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, and 2018's Avengers: Infinity War. 

As with many of the other young actors on GoT, the English actor's professional career began with the HBO show at age 11. 

All grown up! The 19-year-old actor, who plays Bran Stark, no longer has cherub cheeks or long hair! He now rocks a smart pair of Harry Potter-esque round glasses and much shorter locks. Despite the demanding role, Isaac is studying at Birmingham University, where he's received so much attention that he needs security! “I ended up being assigned a campus police officer. It was all quite surreal,” he told The Telegraph in March 2019. “My university address got published in the press, which meant that every time I walked out of my halls pretty much I would have to do a selfie with someone. That’s the last thing you want at nine in the morning when you’re trying to go to a maths lecture.”

Hailing from a famous family in England, back in 2011, Alfie may have been best known as Lily Allen's kid brother. She even wrote a song for him, called, appropriately, "Alfie," which is featured on her 2006 breakout album, Alright, Still.

Eight seasons as Theon Greyjoy has made the 32-year-old actor as famous as his big sis. Much like his fellow male castmates, Alfie's got a shorter 'do these days, and he's also all grown-up! The London native and his girlfriend, Allie Teilz, welcomed a daughter in October 2018 and he's also made big screen appearances in 2014's John Wick and 2018's The Predator.

The English actor earned a Bachelor's degree in acting from Loreto College, and hitting the books did him plenty of good: he found out about Game of Thrones thanks to his university's website. 

His character, Samwell Tarly, has had some pretty gross encounters over the year, but in real life, the 30-year-old thespian cleans up well! John has slimmed down since his GoT debut and he now keeps his hair slicked back and his beard neatly trimmed. He can also rock a tux with the best of 'em! 

Iain had been acting for nearly three decades before scoring the role of Jorah Mormont in Game of Thrones, including small stints on the beloved British shows Doctor Who and Downton Abbey, as well as the lead role of Jack Taylor in the U.K. action series of the same name.

Now that the HBO show is done filming, the Scottish actor, 57, has gone clean shaven! He's continued to play Jack Taylor, however, in a number of TV movies, also kept up his action prowess in Resident Evil: The Final Chapter, and generally kept very busy with television and film gigs in addition to his workload on GoT.