Game of Thrones spoilers follow.
Over the course of its eight-season run, Game of Thrones boasted a huge ensemble cast, provided innumerable unforgettable moments and kept us on the edge of our seats for a decade when it quickly became clear that no one (and we mean no one) was safe.
With warring families, battles, betrayals, an ancient army of White Walkers threatening to wipe out all life and, of course, dragons, it’s no surprise that very few characters saw the series out to its end.
While many (well, most) characters were killed off as a conclusion to their arcs, and we bid farewell to them, and to other actors who were either recast (or perhaps there were just more Faceless Men than we thought?) or else decided it was time to depart the show on their own terms.
So with that being said, here’s why they all left.
Ser Ilyn Payne (Wilko Johnson)
For the first two seasons of Game of Thrones, ’70s rock star Wilko Johnson portrayed mute knight and royal executioner Ilyn Payne. His character was one of many to make Arya Stark’s (Maisie Williams) famed kill list after he beheaded her father Ned Stark (Sean Bean) in the season-one finale, setting the tone for all the blood that would be shed over the next seven seasons.
However, the actor was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2013 and season two, episode nine, ‘Blackwater’, marked his last appearance in GoT.
Ser Ilyn was intended to feature more significantly in the series, as per George RR Martin’s original books, but due to his declining health, he was quietly written out of the show and, eventually, off Arya’s list.
Thankfully, Johnson made a full recovery.
Dickon Tarly (Freddie Stroma)
HBO
Freddie Stroma made a brief appearance as Samwell Tarly’s brother Dickon in season six of GoT, but he was unable to reprise the role in season seven because he was committed to his new ABC series Time After Time.
“I was shooting this, so my character, I wouldn’t be able to go back now,” he said while promoting Time After Time at the 2017 winter TV Critics Association. “It was still fun. I got to be in that world. I’ve watched all of it. It’s just an incredible TV show.”
The role was eventually recast with The Umbrella Academy‘s Tom Hopper. Stroma went on to star as Prince Friedrich in Bridgerton and as Vigilante in Peacemaker, so he’s doing just fine.
Daario Naharis (Ed Skrein)
HBO
Ed Skrein made his Thrones debut as Daario Naharis, a lieutenant in the Second Sons, in season three, but his time on the show was cut short after just three episodes when Michiel Huisman was cast in his place.
Huisman went on to play a significant role in the series, as Daario became one of Daenerys Targaryen’s most important allies and, later, her lover.
Skrein’s obvious replacement didn’t go unnoticed by fans, and rumours that he had quit the show to concentrate on his new movie The Transporter Refuelled began to circulate.
The actor later shut down those rumours, telling Entertainment Weekly: “No. I mean, it wasn’t. That’s what been reported in the press but it was a lot more political than that. My plan was to stay with Game of Thrones for the long haul. That was always my plan. I would have loved to.
“It was a wonderful experience, but politics led to us parting ways. And from there I just said, ‘Okay, look forward, be positive. Keep calm and carry on.’ That’s my mentality when things go well, so I stay grounded and not get to overwhelmed by the hype, and it’s my mentality when the plans change.”
Maester Pycelle (Julian Glover)
DAMIEN ELLIOTTHBO
Despite Maester Pycelle’s role on the Small Council (and his seedy dalliances), Julian Glover had had enough of the character and wanted to leave.
Speaking to IGN ahead the eighth and final season of the show, the actor revealed that he “didn’t want to do” season six because he felt “completely dismissed as a character”.
“Cersei ticked me off all the time, and I never had any comeback. So that wasn’t any fun to play, so I went to them and said, ‘Look, I don’t want to do this anymore, it’s not interesting to go on doing this… and what’s going to happen to him?'”
Fortunately, GoT had some satisfying ideas for Pycelle’s exit, with the actor explaining: “They said, ‘Oh, you can’t go, we’ve got a wonderful scene for you…’
“Anyway, to cut a long story short, I got the scene, and it was my death scene, which is a damn good scene. And this is exactly the sort of way I wanted to go out.”
The Night King (Richard Brake)
HELEN SLOANHBO
Game of Thrones‘ ‘big bad’ (though one of many, hi Ramsay) The Night King is the supreme leader and the first of the White Walkers, having existed since the age of the First Men.
Although it may have gone unnoticed to most thanks to fantastic prosthetics and makeup, The Night King was originally played by Richard Brake and was later recast with Vladimir Furdik in season six.
In 2015, Brake appeared on the FX historical fiction drama The Bastard Executioner as Baron Edwin Pryce, but to due to scheduling conflicts, the actor was unable to reprise his role as The Night King for the sixth season of GoT. Stuntman Furdik took over. Despite excellent prosthetics, sharp-eyed fans may have spotted the character’s increased bulk in later seasons.
Tommen Baratheon (Callum Wharry)
HBO
Cersei and Jaime Lannister’s second-born son, Tommen Baratheon, was played by Callum Wharry for the first two seasons of Game of Thrones.
However, the young actor was recast with Dean-Charles Chapman (who briefly played Tommen’s cousin Martyn Lannister in season three) when the role required an older actor for Tommen’s more prominent and mature storylines.
Fans will recall how Tommen ascended the Iron Throne after his brother Joffrey was (thankfully) offed at his wedding in season four. The new king then wed Joffrey’s widow Margaery Tyrell, though the couple met their untimely demise in the season-six finale ‘The Winds of Winter’.
Myrcella Baratheon (Aimee Richardson)
HBO
Similarly, the role of the youngest Lannister child, Myrcella Baratheon, was played by Aimee Richardson for the first two seasons of the show.
In season two, Myrcella’s uncle Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) decided to send her to Dorne to strengthen House Lannister’s political position during the War of the Five Kings.
The character wasn’t seen again until season five, when Nell Tiger Free, who was portraying the now-teenaged character, was betrothed to Trystane Martell.
Although it was never disclosed, the decision to recast was likely attributed to the fact that the role required a more mature actor.
Ser Gregor ‘The Mountain’ Clegane (Ian Whyte and Conan Stevens)
HBO
Westeros’ most fearsome warrior, The Mountain (aka Gregor Clegane), was recast not once, but twice.
The character was first introduced in the show’s premiere episode and was being portrayed by Conan Stevens (picture right, above) at the time. Stevens, however, had to exit the role due to scheduling conflicts with The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, in which he plays Orc warrior Bolg.
For three episodes in season two, the role of The Mountain was then recast with Ian Whyte, who reportedly struggled to distance himself emotionally from the character’s horrific violence.
After exiting that role, Whyte instead went on to play a White Walker and Wun Wun the Wildling giant (pictured left, above).
Strongman Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson was the final actor to assume the role, and the the most memorable one at that. Not only because of that epic final battle with his brother The Hound, but the gruesome image of him crushing Oberyn Martell’s skull in combat will be (unfortunately) forever etched on our brains.
Game of Thrones seasons 1-8 are available on DVD and Blu-ray. House of the Dragon airs season one weekly the US on Sundays on HBO, and on Mondays in the UK on Sky Atlantic and NOW.
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