What the Game of Thrones cast is up to now one year on from finale

The end of such a massive series was never going to please everyone and true to form everyone had an opinion on how it finished.

While the massive worldwide interest in the eight-year saga was why there were such strong feelings about the show, it goes to show just how much the cast meant to many across the world.

But few would have thought the world would change so dramatically in the year after the show – which is available to stream on Australia’s new streaming platform Binge – finished.

The last season was filmed with as much cloak and dagger as possible but a year on, what, apart from social distancing, are the Game of Thrones main stars up to?

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EMILIA CLARKE (DAENERYS TARGARYEN)

Who was she: The mother of dragons was always the favourite to end up on the Iron Throne but (spoilers) she didn’t quite get there.

Felled just short of the finish line after going full mad queen, Daenerys had the most complete character arc, going from being sold into marriage in season one, building up an army and conquering Westeros.

But at the end, Clarke wasn’t thrilled with the ending, telling The Sunday Times it was a sad way for her character’s story to end.

“I knew how I felt [about the ending] when I first read it, and I tried, at every turn, not to consider too much what other people might say,” Clarke said. “But I did always consider what the fans might think — because we did it for them, and they were the ones who made us successful, so it’s just polite, isn’t it?”

What’s she doing now: Clarke said she was shaken when she learned Daenerys was going full mad queen and admitted it’s been difficult to get past the role, particularly after two brain aneurisms in the early days of the show.

But she’s also stayed pretty busy starring in the star-studded Last Christmas, as well as taking the lead in Let Me Count the Ways where she will play 19th century poet Elizabeth Barrett who shared a love story with playwright Robert Browning, and The Beauty Inside, the remake of a 2015 Korean film about a man who wakes up every day in a different body and the woman that loves him.

But during the virus, Emilia has been enlisting celebrities including Stephen Fry, Helena Bonham Carter, Idris Elba and Andrew Scott in a series of poetry readings for charity.

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KIT HARINGTON (JON SNOW)

Who was he: Seen as the great hope for Westeros with some secretly royal blood, Jon Snow appeared to make his way through many of his fights on the back of his sad eyes, brooding expression and dumb luck rather than any strategic skill.

But while Ned Stark’s bastard son proved to be the rightful heir to the throne, it never came off for him despite playing a key role in pretty much every battle of significance throughout the show’s run.

What’s he doing now: Harington has been keeping a lower profile but it likely won’t be for long as he nabbed a role in Marvel Cinematic Universe film The Eternals where he will star alongside Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek and his Game of Throne brother Richard Madden, who played Robb Stark.

But Harington has reportedly been spending much of his time with his wife Rose Leslie, who he met on set of GoT as she played wildling Ygritte, although the pair like to keep it low key, staying off social media.

SOPHIE TURNER (SANSA STARK)

Who was she: The eldest Stark daughter, Sansa seemed happy with her lot in life and marrying for status after being betrothed to the sadistic King Joffrey.

Passed around many powerful people throughout the run of the show, Sansa turned from a delicate flower into stone as she seized power in the north.

What’s she doing now: Turner has taken a bit of a step back from the limelight, having married Joe Jonas last year and falling pregnant, admitting she’s enjoying the quarantine life.

“I’m kind of loving it. I’m an introvert, I’m a homebody, if I could stay at home all day I would, so this is great for me,” she told Conan O’Brien in April. “Everything seems to be working out in my favour here because Joe is a real social butterfly and I struggle to lock him down and just spend time with me. It’s like a prison for him, but it’s great for me.”

But she’s completely lost from screens either, staring in Quibi series Survive about a young woman discharged from a mental health rehab centre only to be in a plane crash.

PETER DINKLAGE (TYRION LANNISTER)

Who was he: The youngest of the Lannisters, Tyrion was always an outsider. While the rest of Westeros placed most of its stock in brawn over brains, Tyrion is possibly the smartest character in the show.

It’s how he continued to move up in a world that constantly rejected him holding roles including being the Hand to two kings and a queen as well as Master of Coin, as well as staying one step ahead of the game in staying alive until the end.

What’s he doing now: Dinklage has seemingly never been busier, pumping out projects at a remarkable rate.

After winning four Emmy’s and a Golden Globe for playing Tyrion, Dinklage has been voiced characters in animations including The Angry Birds 2 and The Croods 2, voicing Prince Albert in the audio series Heads Will Roll as well as four other live action movies on his upcoming slate.

And the 50-year-old actor is getting even busier when earlier this week when it was announced he would be teaming up with GoT alum Jason Momoa for buddy comedy Good Bad & Undead, where he will star as vampire hunter Van Helsing.

LENA HEADEY (CERSEI LANNISTER)

Who was she: Cersei Lannister was the most Lannister of all the Lannisters.

From her incestuous relationship with her brother Jaime, Cersei was ambitious, ruthless and cunning, going from queen mother to queen as her children dropped like flies, ascending to the Iron Throne and ruling with an iron fist.

While her ending wasn’t as glorious as hoped for, with Headey even admitting “I will say I wanted a better death”, her diabolical turn made for an all-time great TV villain.

What’s she doing now: Headey is going mad in isolation, having pumped out a bunch of projects since the end of Game of Thrones.

She is set to play the role of Sikes in Twist, a star-studded modern take on Oliver Twist, the mother of a mother-daughter team of female assassins alongside Karen Gillan in Gunpowder Milkshake, and the voice of Evil-Lyn in the animated remake series of Masters of the Universe.

Since going into isolation, she’s been using her influence to encourage people to stay at home and praising essential workers, as well as doing what she can to raise money and awareness for charities.

But could a superhero turn be on its way? Deadpool creator Rob Liefeld revealed he would like Headey to play Lady Deadpool, a role she has said she’d be interested to play .

NIKOLAJ COSTER-WALDAU (JAIME LANNISTER)

Who was he: The other half of the incestuous Lannister couple along with Cersei, Jaime was a legend from the beginning of the series.

“The Kingslayer” famously struck the final blow on King Aerys before the Game of Thrones began and while he committed some truly heinous acts, like pushing young Bran Stark out a window, he had somewhat of a redemptive arc throughout the series.

What’s he doing now: Post-Thrones, Coster-Waldau moved to LA and started his own production company and was set to take on the role of Shakespeare’s Macbeth until it was delayed due to coronavirus.

He’s also starring in a drama called Exit Plan, where he stars as an insurance claims investigator investigating a mysterious death the secretive Hotel Aurora.

MAISIE WILLIAMS (ARYA STARK)

Who was she: If there was one character everyone was rooting for, it was Arya Stark.

Starting off as a wannabe badass in the early days, she ended the Game of Thrones as one of the big winners of the series and a straight up assassin.

Despite the hefty body count of her family, she overcame it all to deliver arguably the moment of the series.

What’s she doing now: Williams has gone straight up superhero on and off the screen.

While she’s set to appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the X-Men spin off as Rahne Sinclair or Wolfsbane, she also became a hero in real life, donating £50,000 ($A93,000) to the Bristol Animal Rescue Centre after it had lost most of its income due to COVID-19.

She’s also set to star in the thriller The Owners about a burglary plot that goes awry, set to come out later this year.