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This week sees the return of Game of Thrones
That these characters are so embedded in cultural familiarity is to be expected - Thrones' immense popularity has seen to that. In the throes of a season, it's sometimes forgotten that these characters have actors playing them - a testament to the talent on display if ever there was one.
Check out our gallery below to see what all the cast members - ranging from Cersei (Lena Headey), Littlefinger (Aiden Gillen) and The Mountain (Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson) - look like when out of costume and living their lives away from Westeros.
Show all 44 1 /44What the Game of Thrones cast look like out of character What the Game of Thrones cast look like out of character Rory McCann
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What the Game of Thrones cast look like out of character Sandor "The Hound" Clegane
What the Game of Thrones cast look like out of character Cersei Lannister
What the Game of Thrones cast look like out of character Lena Headey
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What the Game of Thrones cast look like out of character Tyrion Lannister
What the Game of Thrones cast look like out of character Peter Dinklage
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What the Game of Thrones cast look like out of character Daenerys Targaryen
What the Game of Thrones cast look like out of character Emilia Clarke
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What the Game of Thrones cast look like out of character Jon Snow
What the Game of Thrones cast look like out of character Kit Harington
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What the Game of Thrones cast look like out of character Sansa Stark
What the Game of Thrones cast look like out of character Sophie Turner
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What the Game of Thrones cast look like out of character Jaime Lannister
What the Game of Thrones cast look like out of character Nikolaj Coster-Waldau
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What the Game of Thrones cast look like out of character Arya Stark
What the Game of Thrones cast look like out of character Maisie Williams
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What the Game of Thrones cast look like out of character Theon Greyjoy
What the Game of Thrones cast look like out of character Alfie Allen
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What the Game of Thrones cast look like out of character Brienne of Tarth
What the Game of Thrones cast look like out of character Gwendoline Christie
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What the Game of Thrones cast look like out of character Bran Stark
What the Game of Thrones cast look like out of character Isaac Hempstead-Wright
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What the Game of Thrones cast look like out of character Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish
What the Game of Thrones cast look like out of character Aidan Gillen
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What the Game of Thrones cast look like out of character Missandei
What the Game of Thrones cast look like out of character Nathalie Emmanuel
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What the Game of Thrones cast look like out of character Varys
What the Game of Thrones cast look like out of character Conleth Hill
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What the Game of Thrones cast look like out of character Melisandre
What the Game of Thrones cast look like out of character Carice von Houten
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What the Game of Thrones cast look like out of character Samwell Tarly
What the Game of Thrones cast look like out of character John Bradley
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What the Game of Thrones cast look like out of character Gilly
What the Game of Thrones cast look like out of character Hannah Murray
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What the Game of Thrones cast look like out of character Jorah Mormont
What the Game of Thrones cast look like out of character Iain Glen
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What the Game of Thrones cast look like out of character Davos Seaworth
What the Game of Thrones cast look like out of character Liam Cunningham
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What the Game of Thrones cast look like out of character Tormund Giantsbane
What the Game of Thrones cast look like out of character Kristofer Hivju
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What the Game of Thrones cast look like out of character Bronn
What the Game of Thrones cast look like out of character Jerome Flynn
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What the Game of Thrones cast look like out of character Gregor 'The Mountain' Clegane
What the Game of Thrones cast look like out of character Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson
Game of Thrones returns to HBO on 16 July and will be simulcast at 2am on Sky Atlantic. It will air the following evening (17 July) on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV.
You can find a compilation of everything we know so far about the forthcoming episodes (the titles of which have been released by HBO) here , as well as a look at incest in Westeros ahead of Jon's meet with his auntie Dany.
Check out the latest episode of The Independent's podcast Kernels where we break down whether Game of Thrones deserves the acclaim it receives.
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