20 Amazing Bodies of Game of Thrones Stars

HBO’s hit show Game of Thrones was known for scenes which demanded an extremely high level of physicality from the actors, considering how much fighting and action was happening every episode. Cast members such as Gwendoline Christie, Nathalie Emmanuel, Pedro Pascal, and Kit Harington had to train hard for their intense roles, and it showed. So how did they do it? Here’s how 20 Game of Thrones stars stay fighting-fit and ready for action.

1. Emilia Clarke

Shutterstock

Emilia Clarke, 36, played Daenerys Targaryen on the show. The actress enjoys starting the day with yoga. “The morning time is for me to try and calm my brain down,” she says. “I do yoga every morning for 15 minutes. I meditate, then I get to my beauty care. I use a cleanser, toner and moisturizer. If I need it, I'll do a sheet mask; I use Rodial Pink Diamond. I’ll put it on and get into the shower since I don’t get my face wet. I’ll also use a face roller after moisturizing.”

2. Sophie Turner

Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

Sophie Turner, 27, played Sansa Stark. The actress loves yoga—especially goat yoga! "The excitement I felt throughout my body when I saw the goats walk in was just complete and pure ecstasy," she says. "I've never felt that excited about anything in my life, ever, and I've been proposed to and that wasn't even the best day of my life. This was."

3. Maisie Williams

Shutterstock

Maisie Williams, 26, played Arya Stark. She loves running outside whenever possible. “You burn more calories from running and walking than from a lot of the other exercise programs that you can work in,” says Katie Schultes, MD. “It shows that it decreases your risk of cardiovascular disease, I think by about 45 percent. Running also increases your HDL, which is one of your good cholesterols. It helps burn calories, it helps reduce fat and it reduces your risk of getting diabetes.”

4. Pedro Pascal

Shutterstock

Pedro Pascal, 48, played Oberyn Martell. Pascal is known for giving it his all when it comes to exercise in preparation for a role. “He’s so athletic and he has so much potential; he doesn't necessarily realize how good he is,” says trainer David Higgins who has worked with Pascal for years. “[After a while] the general bodyweight exercises—stuff like mountain climbers, bodyweight lunges, glute bridges, plank—started feeling more natural.”

5. Kit Harington

Shutterstock

Kit Harington, 36, played Jon Snow, and loved how physical the role was. “The physical stuff is very much a part of who Jon Snow is and over the four years I’ve got into rock climbing, ice climbing, sword fighting and horse riding,” he says. “I was talking to Peter Dinklage and he said how much he loved the Battle of Blackwater, because he doesn’t usually get to do action bits.” You’re not half a man for trying new things. Just give it your all when you do.”

6. Lena Headey

Shutterstock

Lena Headey, 49, played Cersei Lannister. The actress loves boxing-based workouts. “I took up boxing as a fitness thing,” she says. “I got obsessed and I would go every day when I wasn’t working. It’s just an insane sport when you get into it… Where I used to spar, there was this terrifying Russian female boxer named Angel. She was like Dolph Lundgren. Being an actress, I'd scream, 'Not in the face!'"

7. Natalie Dormer

Shutterstock

Natalie Dormer, 41, played Margaery Tyrell. The actress loves mixing up her workouts. “I’m always open to new experiences, and if a friend takes a class that they really love, I’m always game to try something new,” she says. “I went through a mad spinning phase — I think most people go through a spinning phase. I tried aerial yoga for the first time at the beginning of the year — that was kind of groovy.”

8. Charles Dance

Shutterstock

Charles Dance, 76, played Tywin Lannister. The actor loves outdoor swimming, even in the London chill. “My obsession is swimming,” he says. "Whatever [the] weather”. When he thinks he's gaining weight he makes changes to rectify the situation. “Either I go on a very strict diet or I have to change my swimming apparel.”

9. Jason Momoa

Shutterstock

Jason Momoa, 44, played Khal Drogo. The actor relies on healthy carbohydrates to fuel his workouts. “Carbs are a very important part of the nutrition used for fuel,” says trainer Damian Viera. “Jason couldn’t do something like a ketogenic diet, because he needs readily charged energy from carbs to be explosive. And when I say carbs, I’m not talking about breads and pastas—those are long gone. I’m talking about cruciferous vegetables and fruits. You can’t train the way we do with fat for fuel; you need the carbs for explosive movements.”

10. Hannah Waddingham

Shutterstock

Hannah Waddingham, 49, played Septa Unella. The actress loves the sun, but makes sure to protect her skin. “I wear sunscreen every day, all year, because my facialist said I should be wearing SPF in the rain, in the snow, in the dark, because of all the nasty pollution we have in our cities,” she says. “I always use the Georgio Armani UV Maestro SPF50 Skin Defense Primer Sunscreen. And it’s brilliant. It doesn’t feel like you’re wearing sunscreen, because some SPFs make you feel like you’re wearing a film. So in the summer I pair it with bronzer and mascara, and I’m good to go.”

11. Richard Madden

Shutterstock

Richard Madden, 37, played Robb Stark. The actor loves running, and was devastated when an ankle injury put him out of commission for a while. “This time last year I could barely walk, was on crutches and miserable,” he captioned a social media update. “Today I ran 22km (half marathon) and am feeling happy and grateful to be where I am doing what I love (and to be back on my feet).”

12. Nathalie Emmanuel

Shutterstock

Nathalie Emmanuel, 34, played Missandei. She loves yoga, and took her first class at 18 for the mental health benefits. “My mental health was deteriorating, and I took my first class in reaction to it,” she says. “What I love about yoga is there’s no pressure to be the best at it. Even if you just lie on your mat for the hour and breathe with intention, you’re doing yoga.”

13. Rose Leslie

Shutterstock

Rose Leslie, 36, played Ygritte on the hit show. She swears by cold showers for beauty and wellness. “I did the cold showers and I rather love them now,” she says. “It gives that wonderful tingling sensation. It’s unpleasant, but then you push through and then you’re a bit, ‘oh, weirdly I’ve achieved something.’”

14. Gwendoline Christie

Shutterstock

Gwendoline Christie, 44, played Brienne of Tarth. The actress works out with a personal trainer who keeps her on her toes. “Posture was really important with our training,” says her personal trainer Dalton Wong. “We focused on various types of postural training focusing on hips and bum, core, shoulders and back. We implemented my mini band and glider programme to do daily at home to help improve her hips and core strength.”

15. Rory McCann

Shutterstock

Rory McCann, 54, played Sandor “The Hound” Clegane. The actor went on a strict diet for a shirtless scene in the show which ended up being cut anyway. “He quit drinking and anyone who knows Rory knows that’s a big deal, and he quit smoking and he was just honestly just grumpy because he was eating just boiled eggs and chicken,” says Maisie Williams. “The funniest and best thing about it is when it came to shooting that scene they looked at the weather and said, ‘You know what, it’s a bit cold. It wouldn’t make sense you’d have your shirt off so perhaps you should just leave it on.’”

16. Carice van Houten

Shutterstock

Carice van Houten, 46, played red priestess Melisandre. The actress says having her son gave her energy she never had before. “Because of him I don't have to think about myself and I also get an injection of love,” she says. “An unconditional feeling. That's why I find it so hard to stop breastfeeding. Because of that connection, that eye contact between my son and me, that's just drugs. Motherhood has given me a natural engine.”

17. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau

Shutterstock

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, 53, played Jaime Lannister. The actor swears by a protein-heavy diet for his strong physique. “You read about how much protein certain people eat and hear people talk about it in the gym,” he says. “But it’s not until you experience the results that you really understand. I’ve always exercised hard and thought I ate healthily, so I assumed muscle would come. But if you want to bulk up, trust me, you do really need to eat a [lot] of protein.”

18. Peter Dinklage

Shutterstock

Peter Dinklage, 54, played Tyrion Lannister. Dinklage is a vegetarian-turned vegan and has followed a plant-based meat-free diet for years. “Vegetarian diets have also been shown to support health, including a lower risk of developing coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and increased longevity,” says Katherine D. McManus, MS, RD, LDN. “Plant-based diets offer all the necessary protein, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals for optimal health, and are often higher in fiber and phytonutrients. However, some vegans may need to add a supplement (specifically vitamin B12) to ensure they receive all the nutrients required.”

19. Gemma Whelan

Shutterstock

Gemma Whelan, 42, played Yara Greyjoy. Whelan has a background in dance, having learned tap and ballet as a youth. “I dance often, with my husband, at the flat, but no, I don’t perform anymore,” she says. “I mean I’m not averse to it if a role comes up that requires dancing, I mean, I’ve still got it.”

20. Oona Chaplin

Shutterstock

Oona Chaplin, 37, played Talisa Stark. She avoids alcohol and loves to be out in the fresh air. “I don’t feel hungover at weekends because I don’t drink much alcohol, but if I wake up feeling tired on Saturday I’ll need fresh air on my face,” she says. “I’ll go down to Portobello, buy an iced coconut coffee and then chill out with the boys who work at One of a Kind, a vintage clothing store. Or I might head to Little Wormwood Scrubs and lie in the long grass. There’s often a group of 12-year-old girls there who are desperate to go on the X Factor and I love listening to them sing.”

1. Emilia Clarke

Shutterstock

Emilia Clarke played Sarah Connor in the film, Genisys. She has amazing skin, and shared her routine with Byrdie. "My morning and nighttime routines are really very similar. In the evening, I might do a double cleanse depending on how much makeup either I or someone else has put on my skin. I also put more moisturizing cream on my face at night than I do in the daytime. In the morning, if I have a big day or I have some stuff coming up, I also do a sheet mask and use a face roller. I keep all of those things in the fridge, which always helps."

2. Linda Hamilton

Shutterstock

Linda Hamilton is the actress most associated with the role of Sarah Connor. She originated the role in the first film, and has returned in three subsequent ones. In an essay for InStyle, she talked about working and training for the film Dark Fate. “On the film we worked a lot of six-day weeks; even if we had a weekend off, there was probably a scuba lesson or military training. When I did have a day off, I’d sleep 20 hours. I’d rest my body and read my books to take my mind elsewhere. Still, the results are different, you know? It’s disappointing that you can work as hard and not look the same. But then you just think, ‘I cannot be what I was.’ It took me a while to just go, ‘Hmm, fuck that! Let’s go with what we’ve got and make it as fantastic as possible.’ I’d never felt like a badass until I made this film.”

3. Arnold Schwarzenegger

Shutterstock

Arnold Schwarzenegger plays the titular character, also known as the T-800, in all of the films. He opened up about his diet secrets in an interview. “The way you do it is burning more calories every day than you eat,” he says. “So take the number 2,000. You have 2,000 calories that you eat every day, but you burn off 2,500 calories every day. And now you have a negative of 500 calories. And every day you will start slowly going down with the body weight and down with the body fat. And the first place it will go is at the stomach.”

4. Sam Worthington

Shutterstock

Sam Worthington played Marcus Wright in Salvation. He is a prolific action star, having appeared in Avatar and Clash of The Titans. For this reason, Worthington has to work hard to stay in shape. "Why waste the opportunity by doing things half-arsed,” he told Men’s Health. “Whether that's mentally preparing or physically preparing, or just giving a crap about the work. Why waste time by going to every party in town? This isn't what I got into this for."

5. Lena Headey

Shutterstock

Lena Headey played Sarah Connor in the TV series. She is open about her struggles with mental health and anxiety. When a fan asked how she manages anxiety on Twitter, Headey shared her secrets. "Anxiety is a beast. You have to talk to beasts. Release them back into the wild. Easier said than done, I know, but still. Good to practice."

6. Common

Shutterstock

Common played Lieutenant Barnes in Salvation. He shared his fitness routine with Men’s Journal. “I work out four days a week and if possible, five. But I’ve been improving my workouts by doing things that are active. I’m not just pumping weights. I work with the bands. Today I was doing drills where it felt like I was doing basketball drills. I never used to do a lot of cardio and I still don’t do a lot of cardio because then I get real thin. But basically it’s just constant workouts and overall I just eat healthy. Of course I have days where I might go in on some French fries but overall it’s a pretty clean diet.”

7. Claire Danes

Shutterstock

Claire Danes played Kate Connor in Rise of The Machines. Danes shared some of her favorite workouts with Net-A-Porter.com. “Generally, I run, but I couldn’t do it when I was pregnant, and I was introduced to SoulCycle, Barre, and then The Class By Taryn Toomey. Initially, I was a little hesitant about the ‘clubbyness’ of it, but it is nice to be in a group and to exercise with others as part of a community. Endorphins are released when you move and when you’re social. So, when you combine the two, the result is quite potent.”

8. Bryce Dallas Howard

Shutterstock

Bryce Dallas Howard played Kate Connor in Salvation. She also stars in the Jurassic World films. Howard revealed to People that she used a wooden platform to help her get in shape for the films. “I’d put my foot on it and do calf raises and then stay on my tippy toe and do squats,” she said. “Then I’d turn perpendicular and exercise each side of my foot. Just to practice the stabilizing muscles.”

9. Brian Austin Green

Shutterstock

Brian Austin Green played Derek Reese in the series, The Sarah Connor Chronicles. The actor struggles with ulcerative colitis, and had a flare-up in 2022. Green talked about how he manages this condition on Good Morning America. “It’s really just dietary,” he said. “As long as I can keep things within my system that my body doesn’t think I’m poisoning it with then it doesn’t fight back.”

10. Gabriel Luna

Shutterstock

Gabriel Luna played Rev-9 in Dark Fate. He tells Men’s Health that he was inspired to get fit because he knew he’d be working with Arnold Schwarzenegger. “I knew I had to get my body into a good place,” Luna said. “Because at the time, I was drinking whiskey and smoking cigarettes and all this other stuff I didn’t need to be doing if I intended to play this role. I knew I’d eventually have to stand in front of this guy, and my motivation was, I want him to see me and see a formidable foe. I don’t want him to see me and think, ‘I could squash this guy with my thumbs’.”

11. Helena Bonham Carter

Shutterstock

Helena Bonham Carter played Dr. Serena Kogan in Salvation. Carter tells InStyle that she makes sure to get enough sleep, and that this is the reason for her amazing skin. “People say I look really good, and it’s because I sleep a lot, which is the biggest collagen booster ever. It’s amazing that I achieve anything considering how much I sleep. I snooze during the day and eight or nine hours at night to help collagen production.”

The dead are alive! Here we delve into the fitness and lifestyle secrets of the beloved cast from the iconic show. From Andrew Lincoln's stamina-focused training for his role as Rick Grimes to Norman Reedus's relaxed approach for Darryl Dixon, each star brings a unique perspective to maintaining their health under the demanding conditions of filming. Lauren Cohan champions exercise variety, while Danai Gurira emphasizes wellbeing through varied workouts. Jeffery Dean Morgan finds fitness in farm life, and Melissa McBride reflects on the show's impact.

1. Andrew Lincoln

Shutterstock

Andrew Lincoln played Rick Grimes on the show. In a 2012 interview with Men’s Health, he shared his approach for training for the series. Lincoln revealed that stamina is the main thing he values. "Of course, I want to be in good shape and be fit, but I want to have stamina. It's not an exercise in vanity. It's about being able to do stuff.”

2. Norman Reedus

Shutterstock

Norman Reedus plays fan-favorite character Darryl Dixon, which lead to him getting a spin-off. He shared his fitness secrets with Men’s Journal. “I have a trainer in New York I use every so often when I’m getting ready to go back on the show. Nothing too specific. I just try to shed any holiday pounds and get my mind right. When I’m down there [in Atlanta], I have a gym in my house, so I try to work out when I can, but sometimes when you work so many hours all you can do is get home and fall on your face. I’m also running through the woods in 103° heat and my crossbow weighs a ton, and I’m always riding bikes and building things, so the pounds melt off.”

3. Lauren Cohan

Shutterstock

Lauren Cohan played Maggie Greene on the show. She shared her fitness routine with Shape Magazine. "I am the queen of exercise variety. This week I was in L.A. and I took a Pure Barre class, went to Burn 60 [an interval workout class] twice, ran the track at UCLA, made it to the gym, and took a yoga class. I also really love to dance. I dance through workouts that aren't even about dancing! At home, all my furniture is pushed to the edges of my living room so that I can dance around the room.”

4. Danai Gurira

Shutterstock

Danai Gurira played the fan-favorite character, Michonne, on the show. She shared her approach to fitness with Women’s Health. “If I haven’t worked out, if I haven’t exercised and connected with my body in some way, it chips away at my feeling of well-being,” she says. “It might be lifting weights, it might be boxing, it might be something a little less intense. There’s no need to break records tomorrow. It’s just about slowly finding what feels good and what feels rewarding.”

5. Jeffery Dean Morgan

Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

Jeffery Dean Morgan played the villainous Negan on the show. He and his wife, Hilarie Burton, live on a farm. Morgan tells Men’s Journal that he likes to chop wood. “I’m a little bit obsessed with it. I love an ax, but I recently got a log splitter, which has changed my life as I near 55.”

6. Melissa McBride

Shutterstock

Melissa McBride plays Carol Peletier on the show. She talked about the impact the show has had to AMC.com. “I think being a part of something that sort of just took over, it still has not quite settled in my mind. I understand how big the show is. I experienced how big it got and that's maybe why it's hard to fathom that I’m a part of it. It's bigger and more unexpected than I ever could have imagined, and I still have not quite grasped that I am indeed a part of this massive thing. I think one of these days, maybe even years from now, I will look back with a different perspective. You know, see the whole of it.”

7. Jon Bernthal

Shutterstock

Jon Bernthal plays Shane Walsh on the show. He also stars on The Punisher and shared his workout secrets for the show with Men’s Journal. “Today we got up at 4 in the morning. Usually we’ll start with a little strength work, whether it is taking on squats or the bench press, doing five sets of three at the maximum weight. There’s a lot of supersetting, and bodybuilding weight practices. Then we work on a lot of MetCon [metabolic conditioning], doing as many rounds as we can, trying to get each movement just right. It will usually be about five or six full-body moves, like pull-ups or cleans. We’ll do that for somewhere around 20 minutes or so. Then in the afternoon we’ll do boxing or jiu jitsu workouts between scenes. I always want to box, but they really try to keep me working my whole body as much as possible. On top of that, learning the fights for the show or weapons training is almost a whole other workout on top of that. So it probably works out to three separate big, different workouts a day. It’s pretty gnarly.”

8. Christian Serratos

Shutterstock

Christian Serratos plays Rosita Espinosa on the show. She shared some of her skincare secrets with The Cut. “I started double-cleansing probably around the time my daughter was born, because I noticed that when I would wipe my face dry on a towel after cleansing, I still had makeup around my hairline or the edges of my face. And I was mostly annoyed with the fact that the makeup was getting on my towels.”

9. Michael Rooker

Shutterstock

In addition to playing Merle Dixon on The Walking Dead, Michael Rooker also plays Yondu in the Guardians of The Galaxy franchise. He talked about doing his own stunts with Smashing Interviews. “I didn’t do a lot of major action stuff in this one. I like doing physical stuff, but this was easy enough for me. I really didn’t have many major fights. Yondu is just … you don’t want to mess with this cat. His weapon of choice is pretty powerful, so you don’t want to screw around with the guy. He’s a tough old boy.”

10. Alanna Masterson

Shutterstock

Alanna Masterson plays Tara Chambler on the show. After having her daughter, Masterson was subjected to body-shaming. However, she hit back on Instagram. “Dear Instagram trolls, body shamers, and the men and woman who think it's ok to comment on my weight: I hope that you don't have children. And if you do, I hope you teach them about kindness and acceptance. I hope they learn that it isn't ok to make fun of people or call people names.”

11. Khary Payton

Shutterstock

Khary Payton played Ezekiel on the show. He shared how he stayed in shape on the show to Muscle and Fitness. “We film in Atlanta where it’s hot and humid, and I lose weight if I’m not doing something. So I have this CrossFit-style regimen that’s just 20 minutes. I do five pullups, 10 pushups, and 15 body-weight squats. I do as many rounds as I can in 20 minutes. By the time I get halfway through, I’ve got to cheat on the pullups. By the time I’m done, I’m in a pool of sweat on the floor. My best is nine rounds.”

12. Austin Amelio

Shutterstock

Austin Amelio played Dwight on the show. In an interview, he revealed that he has adopted a vegan diet. “I watched that documentary ‘What the Health’ ten days ago, and the next day I was like, ‘I’m done.’ It’s been 10 days, completely vegan the whole entire time, and I feel better than I felt like in years.”

13. Tom Payne

Shutterstock

Tom Payne, who played Jesus, works with trainer Tom Fitzgerald on his diet and exercise. Fitzgerald told The Hollywood Reporter that Payne eats a lot of protein. “Most people would need a period of ‘cutting in’ after a program like this,” Fitzgerald explains. “However, Tom has such a fast metabolism that just keeping up the calories is the main challenge; losing fat in order to show muscular definition happens almost automatically.”

14. Lauren Ridloff

Shutterstock

Lauren Ridloff played Connie on the show. She revealed to Shape that she is training to run the New York City Marathon, and shared her reasons for doing so. "It was more about meditation," she says. "It was about reentering myself and problem solving, troubleshooting, all of those things...You know, my mind just wanders [when I run]. I never know where it's gonna go, which is quite nice."

15. Steven Yuen

Shutterstock

Steven Yuen played fan-favorite character, Glenn Rhee. He told The Guardian that he wants to represent the Asian community through his work. “Where I try and speak from as an actor is always feeling, I guess, isolated. I warred with that for a lot of my life – of feeling disconnected from a system, a majority, or a group. I deeply wanted to connect, so I would bend and twist and break myself to try and conform.”