ShreyaCersei Lannister
Cersei has to be one of the most badass characters not only in the Game of Thrones but the entire Television history. We know mother’s love is fierce but Cersei redefined revenge with her utter lack of emotions and passionate will to kill. And somewhere we love to hate her. Lena Headey absolutely nailed the role. However, the appearance of the show Cersei and the book Cersei is at odds. Since she is a heavy drinker as we know, it eventually takes a toll on her body and she can no longer fit into her old gowns! Also, her hair is supposed to be a lighter shade of blond and eyes, emerald green. “A jeweled tiara gleamed amidst her long golden hair, its emeralds a perfect match for the green of her eyes,”- says the book.
Barristan the Bold
Barristan, the Hand of the King before Jamie, played by Ian McElhinney is played almost completely true to his identity in the books, initially in the show. But when he travels to Essos in order to join Daenerys, he lets his beard and hair grow and takes on the name Arstan Whitebeard. He eventually trims the beard and hair to prove his true identity to the Khaleesi but the show did not portray this temporary change in character’s appearance. We are told in the book that, “Long white hair fell to his shoulders, and a silky white beard covered the lower half of his face.”
Jon Snow
It is difficult to imagine anyone else to have played the role of the favorite Bastard in the North Jon Snow than Kit Harrington. He is a natural at it. His depiction has been near perfect on the show with his serious demeanor but some fans have raised issues with his curly hair and beard but the fact is, the texture of Jon’s hair is never explicitly mentioned in the books. Though his “hairless cheeks” are pointed out by a Wildling in the books, that does not rule out the presence of a beard. What is certain is that his eye color is different. Martin wrote, “on’s eyes were a grey so dark they seemed almost black, but there was little they did not see. He was of an age with Robb, but they did not look alike. Jon was slender where Robb was muscular, dark where Robb was fair, graceful and quick where his half brother was strong and fast. “
Ned Stark
I can safely assume that we all think that Sean Bean was the perfect choice to play the role of Eddard Stark, the patriarch Stark who was the favorite of everyone who was not named a Lannister. His looks closely resembled the books and he did look like someone older than 35, wearing a wintery look almost all the time. This is how the book describes him, “His closely trimmed beard was shot with white, making him look older than his thirty-five years. He had a grim cast to his grey eyes this day,” the second picture is how he should have actually looked like in the show to make it more authentic.
Robert Baratheon
Robert Baratheon was as brutish, bearded and round as he was expected to be there were few things that stood out to some fans as a departure from the text’s descriptions. Also, important to point out that Mark Addy was a marvelous for King Drunkard, I mean, Robert. The book says that Robert had, “A beard as coarse and black as iron wire covered his jaw to hide his double chin and the sag of the royal jowls, but nothing could hide his stomach or the dark circles under his eyes.” Also, he was taller than most men in the Westeros, almost as tall as Hodor but Mark Addy is just 5’11 with more brown than black hair.
Edmure Tully
Even though Edmure is the youngest of the Tully family he does not resemble his sisters Catelyn and Lysa AT ALL. First of all, he is supposed to be in his late 20s at the start of the but in the show, Tobias Menzies looks just as, old as his sisters. A touch of Auburn should have been added to his tresses and a beard to make him distinguishable as a Tully. In the book, Martin writes, “Ser Edmure Tully was a stocky young man with a shaggy head of auburn hair and a fiery beard.” This criterion is clearly not filled by the show.