(spoiler alert!)
Theatre maestro Konstantin Stanislavski said: “There are no small parts, only small actors.” Game of Thrones stands testament to this, because whether their character is great or small, the actors throw their all into the parts they play.
Nevertheless, we wanted to take a moment to honour the actors who ostensibly do not form part of the main cast, but have been around for seven seasons – which as we well know is no mean feat on Game of Thrones. Without further ado, here they are.
Samwell Tarly
Played by John Bradley
Sent to the Wall by his father, who deemed him unfit to be either lord or knight, Samwell has proved his worth tenfold. Dubbed Sam the Slayer after he killed a white walker, for seven seasons he has remained a faithful companion to Jon Snow, as well as Gilly and her son. A character that could easily have been exasperating, Bradley plays him with warmth and humour.
Ser Jorah Mormont
Played by Iain Glen
If you’re a fan of Resident Evil or Downton Abbey, you’d have spotted this Scottish actor before. In Game of Thrones he has a much friendlier role to play as friend and advisor to Daenerys Targaryen since Season 1. Being exiled and contracting greyscale didn’t keep this Mormont away from his Queen, and even when he wasn’t at her side, we watched him fight his way back. Whether smarmy in Downton Abbey or sweet in Game of Thrones, Glen always remains distinguished.
Bronn
Played by Jerome Flynn
Did you know Flynn used to be a pop star? Maybe that’s how he manages to make Bronn ooze a charm that wins over characters and fans alike, despite his rascally nature. He may be a scoundrel, but he’s always straightforward about his aims and ambitions, which is more than we can say for a lot of other characters.
Varys
Played by Conleth Hill
If you know all the secrets of King’s Landing it becomes a little easier to stay alive. Well, not so much if you’re Ned Stark; but unlike Stark, Varys uses secrets to his advantage and it’s kept him alive this long. However, thanks to Hill’s performance, the character has grown to become more than a mere whispering spider.
Theon Greyjoy
Played by Alfie Allen
We never know what to think about Theon, but that’s part of what makes him so interesting. He certainly was an annoying weasel in the first season, turning into a despicable coward in Season 2. But the treatment he received at the hands of Ramsay Snow was worse than even he deserved. He did redeem himself later when he helped Sansa escape in Season 5, and even though he abandoned Yara on Euron’s ship this season, we don’t know whether it was out of shock or cowardice. We’ll have to wait and see if further redemption awaits him in what’s left of the show.
Petyr “Littlefinger” Baelish
Played by Aidan Gillen
Speaking of weasels, Littlefinger is master of them all. Much like Cersei, he’s not directly murdering men, but he’s been the reason behind their downfall. Still, his dark charm, played so cunningly by Gillen, makes him irresistibly watchable.
Honorable Mentions
We thought it only fair to include the names of the still living characters (and the actors who play them) who have been around for six out of the seven seasons. After all, that’s still a good record on Game of Thrones , and the only reason they skipped a season is either for story reasons or because they were only introduced in Season 2. Here they are:
Ben Crompton as Eddison Tollett
Carice van Houten as Melisandre
Daniel Portman as Podrick Payne
Gwendoline Christie as Brienne of Tarth
Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson as Gregor “The Mountain” Clegane (although he was played by Conan Stevens in Season 1 and Ian Whyte in Season 2)
Hannah Murray as Gilly
Isaac Hempstead Wright as Bran Stark
Liam Cunningham as Davos Seaworth
Rory McCann as Sandor “The Hound” Clegane
And, of course, we cannot conclude without mentioning the main players (pun fully intended) who’ve stayed alive for seven seasons:
Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen
Kit Harington as Jon Snow (although he did die in Season 5)
Lena Headey as Cersei Lannister
Maisie Williams as Arya Stark
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Jaime Lannister
Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister
Sophie Turner as Sansa Stark
And finally, the dragons: Drogon, Rhaegal and Viserion who've been with us since the Season 1 finale. Viserion may have met a terrible fate in Season 7, but we're sure he'll show up again, although not quite like we remembered him...
Who will make it all the way through Season 7? There’s only one episode left in this season. Check out the promo here and tune into the Season 7 finale on Monday 28 August simulcast at 03:00 and in prime time at 21:30 on M-Net.
You can also watch it on DStv Now or on DStv Catch Up.
For more on Season 7, click here.