“Game of Thrones” was all about giving screen time to the Seven Kingdoms’ power players, like Emilia Clarke, Kit Harington, Peter Dinklage, and Lena Headey. But every once in a while, the HBO fantasy series slipped in some great celebrity cameos — though a few were so discrete you may have missed them.
Sure, you remember Ed Sheeran as a singing soldier (literally, how could anyone forget that?) and by now you certainly know about the “GoT” Season 8 premiere’s big connection to “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.” But TheWrap is willing to bet all the precious Dragonglass in Westeros you haven’t caught every famous face that’s dropped by “Game of Thrones” unannounced.
See our round-up of the top 12 cameos in the show’s history and one famous face that was going to make it into a scene, and why they didn’t.
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Aaron Rodgers
The Green Bay Packers quarterback had a brief appearance in the series’ second-to-last episode as a Lannister archer seen helping an injured woman during the attack on King’s Landing. “It was just for a few seconds, but I’ll always be thankful to have been on the penultimate episode of @gameofthrones,” Rodgers wrote on Instagram.
Chris Stapleton
The country music star had a brief cameo in Season 8’s big Battle of Winterfell episode “The Long Night” as one of the Night King’s undead soldiers. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Stapleton explained that he, as a huge fan of the show, was invited to be one of the dead soldiers the Night King raises as wights in the battle’s final act. His bassist and tour manager also appear in the episode.
Rob McElhenney
The “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” creator/star played an Ironborn who was guarding Euron Greyjoy’s ship when Theon and his men came to save Yara. He took an arrow through the eye and that was the end of his very short “GoT” arc.
Martin Starr
The “Silicon Valley” star made his cameo in the exact same scene as McElhenney — and was also impaled by an arrowhead.
Ed Sheeran
Maybe the most famous and controversial of all the cameos the HBO series has ever had. Some fans thought using such a well-known singer playing a Lannister soldier who had a long interaction with Arya took them out of the story too much. But then he serenaded like an angel, so…
Sigur Rós
This obscure Icelandic band played a chilling version of “The Rains of Castamere” at Joffrey and Margaery’s wedding in Season 4. Before, you know, the groom died.
George W. Bush (kinda)
Yeah, that’s the former POTUS’ head (left) on a spike in a Season 1 episode. Later on, HBO and showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss apologized for using a prosthetic of Bush’s likeness.
Will Champion
The drummer from Coldplay was part of the band at the Red Wedding in Season 3.
Royd Tolkien
J.R.R. Tolkien’s great-grandson appeared as a wildling in “Hardhome,” the eighth episode of Season 5. This is probably as close as you will ever get to a crossover between “The Lord of the Rings” and “Game of Thrones.”
Noah Syndergaard
The Mets pitcher and “GoT’ buff appeared in Season 7, Episode 4 as a House Lannister spear-thrower. Cause, you know, pitcher.
David Benioff and D.B. Weiss (also kinda)
Benioff and Weiss eventually made an appearance on their own series, but in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment. The two show up as faces in the Hall of Faces at the House of Black and White.
Bonus: Weiss and Benioff, again
The duo made a real cameo in the Season 8 episode “The Long Night” as a pair of Tormund’s Wildling drinking buddies.
George R.R. Martin (but not really)
The unaired “Game of Thrones” pilot is infamous for being truly terrible, according to everyone involved with the project. But the numerous reshoots that turned that episode into the series premiere you know and love also led to a cameo by the “A Song of Ice and Fire” author being left on the cutting room floor. Now, he was offered the chance to be on the eighth and final season, but couldn’t make it work with his schedule. Sorry, GRRM fans. Maybe he’ll write himself a cameo for the prequel series “House of the Dragon.”
