ShreyaGood shows have had a way of making their mark on people even when there was no internet. People were crazed by the show Friends and before that Seinfeld. These shows have a cult-like following. The incoming of the internet and the booming world of social media has ensured that people having similar interests can connect and talk about it and make something awesome viral in no time. One show that gained mass popularity majorly because of the internet is Game of Thrones. The reason is that, given its frank show of nudity and gruesome violence, HBO showed censored episodes and it was only by watching it on the net that people were introduced to the completeness of the show. Apart from having unique ways of showing deaths, the show has an intriguing storyline.
Most of us know that the show is based on George RR Martin’s book series. And we also know that there can be a huge difference between the story of the books and their movie/show adaptations. Game Of Thrones is no exception to this. The storyline in the show deviates massively from the that in books but that is not all. Even the appearances of some characters have been altered in the show. This is a list of some characters and how they should have ACTUALLY looked like in the show if the books were to be religiously followed. Don’t worry, there are no spoilers ahead.
Daenerys Targaryen
Daenerys Stormborn of the House Targaryen, First of Her Name, the Unburnt, Queen of the Andals and the First Men, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, Breaker of Chains, and Mother of Dragons…phew! Think of it, she could be 7 different characters! Anyway, Khaleesi, played by Emilia Clarke is one of the most favorite GOT characters and apart from a few moderations, it has been justified by the books. First of all, she is supposed to be younger in the books than she is on the show and has violet eyes. How hard was it for the producers to do that!? Another glitch in the portrayal is that, after she rises from the funeral pyre, with the dragon’s eggs all hatched all her body hair were burnt, as a result, she was bald. In the picture, her hair length is what it should have been.
Missandei
Nathalie Emmanuel is amazing as Missandei but the show casting staff made a huge blunder here. Missandei in the show is much older than that of books and this is done just to provide a romantic angle between her and Grey Worm. Also, her physical description and the location of her home island of Naath all point to the direction that there was a southeast Asian influence. Martin wrote, “The girl spoke the Common Tongue well, for one who had never been to Westeros. No older than ten, she had the round flat face, dusky skin, and golden eyes of Naath. The Peaceful People, her folk were called.” She was not older than ten…TEN! And she should also have gold eyes and a flatter face.
The Mountain
He is huge, he is strong and he definitely inspires terror but the Mountain of the books have not been portrayed quite accurately on the show. First of all, the Mountain has been played by three different actors but it is only Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson who has come the closest to the description fo Ser Gregor Clegane in the books and he has been playing the part since season 4. But he was still not quite as large and terrifying as the Mountain of the books. Martin says that “He is almost eight feet tall and must weigh thirty stone, all of it muscle. He fights with a two-handed greatsword but needs only one hand to wield it. He has been known to cut men in half with a single blow. His armor is so heavy that no lesser man could bear the weight, let alone move in it.” Björnsson is 6’9 but we can’t really blame the casting staff for not being able to find an 8ft tall guy, they are hard to come by, right?
Brienne of Tarth
Brienne’s no-nonsense personality is beautifully enacted by Gwendoline Christie but there is a major difference in her appearance in books and in the show. With Christie’s height, demeanor, hair color, and the gorgeous blue eyes the positive aspects of Brienne’s personality have been brought out right but in the books, she is not so pretty. Two of her teeth are supposed to have been knocked out in one of her fights and an attack by Biter left her with half ripped off cheek. In the words of Martin, ” Brienne’s eyes were large and very blue, a young girl’s eyes, trusting and guileless, but the rest… her features were broad and coarse, her teeth prominent and crooked, her mouth too wide, her lips so plump they seemed swollen. A thousand freckles speckled her cheeks and brow, and her nose had been broken more than once.” Well, no doubt Tormund is beard over heels for this exceptionally strong woman.
Daario Naharis
Dario was a sword for hire who was later appointed as a commander in Khaleesi’s army after he presented her with the severed heads of the Second Sons.(Violent enough?) There have been two casting of this role and none of them came close to the how he is supposed to look in the books. In Martin’s words, “Daario Naharis was flamboyant even for a Tyroshi. His beard was cut into three prongs and dyed blue, the same color as his eyes and the curly hair that fell to his collar. His pointed mustachios were painted gold.” Michiel Hulsman looks nothing like the books Dario who also liked to dress in flamboyant fabrics. Well, we understand that if Dario did, in fact, look like this in the shows, Daenerys might not have paid the little attention she did to him.
Ygritte
Well, this wild Wildling would say that we ‘know nothin’ but we know this that Ygritte was not supposed to look as beautiful as Rose Leslie does in the role. Because she was a Wildling, she needed to be more unkempt and her features not as sharp. In the book, this is what is said, “Ygritte’s hair was such a tangle that Jon was tempted to ask her if she only brushed it at the changing of the seasons… She had a round peasant face, a pug nose, and slightly crooked teeth, and her eyes were too far apart.” The second picture comes closer to how she should have actually looked, maybe she and Jon might not have made too striking a pair then, don’t you think?