Everyone’s hyped up for the last season of the ground-breaking HBO show Game of Thrones. But while everybody else is busy thinking about possible end game theories and rooting for their favorite characters, somebody’s gotta ask: does the show’s success reflect in its stars’ salaries?
The long answer made short: yes.
Kit Harington aka the King in the North, Jon Snow
Kit Harington plays the role of Jon Snow, who’s one of the main characters in the show. Thus, it’s not surprising that he’s one of the highest paid actors on the show. After negotiations with the showrunners for season 7, the 32-year-old actor has been earning $500,000 per episode since shoot started in 2016.
In total, Harington has earned a total of $6.5 million from the last two seasons of Game of Thrones. Not bad for a guy who knows nothing, huh?
Emilia Clarke aka The Mother of Dragons, Daenerys Targaryen
Being one of the show’s five lead cast members, the English actress earns a $500,000 salary per episode for Game of Thrones seventh and eighth seasons. Once she cashes in her paycheck for this gig, Clarke’s net worth is set to reach around $13 million.
The other half of her fortune came from her roles in films like Solo: A Star Wars Story, Me Before You and Terminator Genisys, where she played another kickass female character.
Lena Headey aka the Mad Queen Cersei Lannister
Love her or hate her character, Lena Headey definitely does a fantastic job playing everybody’s most disliked character, Cersei Lannister. Fortunately, she’s being compensated quite well for her mad skills. Like Clarke and Harington, the experienced actress gets paid $500,000 per episode of the show’s last two seasons.
But unlike her fellow castmates, Headey has already enjoyed some popularity due to her previous roles in big movies like the 300 movies series, Imagine Me and You and The Purge.
Peter Dinklage aka The Imp, Tyrion Lannister
There’s no doubt that Peter Dinklage is the show’s biggest breakout star. His superb and nuanced portrayal of the fan-favorite character Tyrion Lannister has won him not just but three Emmy awards now. It’s not surprising that he’s also a member of the $500,000-club.
Because of his top tier salary and recent roles in financially and critically-acclaimed films, he’s become one of the richest cast members with a net worth of around $15 million.
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau aka the Kingslayer, Jaime Lannister
The last actor on the Game of Thrones $500,000 payroll is Danish actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau who plays the role of Jaime Lannister.
The 48-year-old actor’s salary is definitely well-deserved after he wowed audiences with his excellent portrayal of the multi-faceted character on the show. If you can make people love a character who’s done horrible things like pushing a kid out of a window and kill a king he’s sworn to protect, then you’re definitely doing something right.