game of thrones cast where are they now is a question that never really goes away, because the HBO epic launched — or relaunched — so many careers at once. Game of Thrones ran for eight seasons and 73 episodes from its April 17, 2011 premiere, and its stars have spent the years since trying on everything from Marvel movies to prestige TV. Here is where the biggest names landed.
Kit Harington (Jon Snow)
Kit Harington played Jon Snow, the brooding Night’s Watch hero who became the show’s moral center. Since Westeros, his biggest move has been into the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Dane Whitman in Eternals (2021), and he has also headlined the finance drama Industry. Harington has spoken openly about the pressure of carrying the show’s final seasons, and his post-Thrones work has leaned into darker, more complex characters.
Emilia Clarke (Daenerys Targaryen)
Emilia Clarke played Daenerys Targaryen, the Mother of Dragons whose turn in the final season remains one of TV’s most debated endings. Since then, she joined the Marvel universe too, playing G’iah in Secret Invasion (2023), and earlier played Qi’ra in Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018). Clarke has also returned to the stage and to charity work, and remains one of the cast’s most visible stars.
Peter Dinklage (Tyrion Lannister)
Peter Dinklage played Tyrion Lannister, the sharp-tongued fan favorite who won four Emmy Awards for the role. Since the finale, he has kept a busy film career, including playing Casca Highbottom in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2023) and leading the musical Cyrano (2021). Dinklage was already an established actor before Thrones, but Tyrion made him a household name.
The Stark Sisters and the Lannisters
Sophie Turner played Sansa Stark, and since the finale she has played Jean Grey in X-Men: Dark Phoenix (2019) and starred in the true-crime drama The Staircase (2022). Maisie Williams played Arya Stark, and has since starred in the Sex Pistols drama Pistol (2022) and the fashion-world drama The New Look (2024). Lena Headey played Cersei Lannister, and has since voiced characters in The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (2019) and starred in the action film Gunpowder Milkshake (2021). Nikolaj Coster-Waldau played Jaime Lannister, and has since headlined the survival film Against the Ice (2022).
The Rest of the Ensemble
Some of the biggest post-Thrones careers belong to actors who left the show early. Jason Momoa played Khal Drogo in season one and went on to headline Aquaman for DC. Pedro Pascal played Oberyn Martell in season four and became the face of two more franchises, The Mandalorian and The Last of Us. Richard Madden played Robb Stark and went on to star in the thriller Bodyguard and join the Eternals cast. Gwendoline Christie played Brienne of Tarth and has since appeared in Wednesday and Severance. Even Sean Bean, whose Ned Stark died in season one, remains one of Britain’s most in-demand character actors.
Why the Cast Still Matters
So what does this Game of Thrones cast guide come down to? A rare ensemble where nearly every lead went on to headline major projects — proof of how deep the show’s casting bench was. The real answer to where the cast are now is: everywhere — in Marvel, in Star Wars, in prestige drama and on stage, carrying a decade of Westeros with them into every new role. With the franchise continuing through House of the Dragon, the original cast’s shadow still looms large. For another ensemble that defined a decade of TV, our Friends cast guide follows Central Perk’s six stars.
Want to revisit Westeros? Start with Game of Thrones season one and watch the cast that became famous before your eyes.
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