You probably remember the first time she stomped onto the screen. It was Game of Thrones Season 2, Episode 3. She was towering, encased in blue steel, and absolutely battering Ser Loras Tyrell in a tourney pit. For a lot of us, she was the first woman we’d ever seen on TV who looked like she could actually, realistically, win a medieval sword fight.
But who played Brienne of Tarth?
That would be Gwendoline Christie. And honestly, it’s kinda wild to think about how close we came to never seeing her in that armor. Before she was "Ser Brienne," Christie was an actress who had been told, repeatedly and bluntly, that her height and "unconventional" look meant she might never find steady work in the industry.
The Fan Campaign That Actually Worked
Usually, when fans scream on Reddit or old-school forums about who should be cast in a role, HBO ignored them. Not this time. When George R.R. Martin’s readers first started discussing a live-action A Song of Ice and Fire, Christie’s name was already bubbling up on fan sites.
She wasn't a household name yet. Far from it. She’d done some theater and a tiny role in Terry Gilliam's The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, but she was basically a total unknown to the mainstream.
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When a friend told her that people online were suggesting her for a character named Brienne, she went out and bought the books. She didn't just read them; she became obsessed. She saw herself in Brienne—the height, the feeling of being an outsider, the struggle to be taken seriously in a world that wants you to be "delicate."
To get the part, she didn't just show up to an audition. She underwent a total transformation:
- She cut off her long hair (which she'd used as a "feminine" shield for years).
- She started a brutal training regime: kickboxing, horse riding, and sword fighting.
- She gained roughly 14 pounds of muscle.
- She basically started wearing androgynous clothes in her daily life to "feel" the character's awkwardness.
By the time she walked into the room for the casting directors, she wasn't Gwendoline the actress. She was Brienne. George R.R. Martin later said there was basically no debate. They looked at a dozen actresses, but only one of them inhabited the soul of the Maid of Tarth.
Why Gwendoline Christie Was the Only Choice
Standing at 6 feet 3 inches, Christie has a physical presence that you simply can't fake with camera angles. But what made her performance legendary wasn't just the height. It was the vulnerability.
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Think about the "bathtub scene" with Jaime Lannister (played by Nikolaj Coster-Waldau). She’s stripped of her armor, literally and figuratively. You see the scars, the pain, and the sheer exhaustion of trying to be "honorable" in a world that treats honor like a joke. Christie played that scene with such raw, quiet dignity that it changed how everyone viewed the character.
She made Brienne more than just a "strong female lead." She made her a person who was deeply, painfully human.
Life After the Kingsguard
If you’ve been keeping up with her lately, you know Game of Thrones was just the launchpad. It’s been fascinating to watch her career go from "uncastable" to "everywhere."
Most recently, she’s been killing it in some of the biggest shows on the planet. She played the shapeshifting Principal Larissa Weems in Netflix’s Wednesday, looking absolutely elegant and proving she could do high-fashion glamour just as well as mud-covered plate mail. Then there’s her role as Lucifer in The Sandman. If you haven't seen her go toe-to-toe with Tom Sturridge’s Dream, you're missing out on some of the best casting in modern fantasy.
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And let's not forget 2025. She recently appeared in the second season of Severance on Apple TV+. Her role as Lorne—the mysterious woman involved with the goats—earned her a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress. She’s officially entered that tier of British actors who make everything they touch better just by being there.
The Brienne Legacy: What We Can Learn
The story of who played Brienne of Tarth is really a story about leaning into what makes you different. For years, Christie was told her height was a liability. She turned it into her greatest asset.
Next steps for the fans: If you want to see the full range of her talent beyond Westeros, I highly recommend checking out her work in The Sandman to see her play "divine power," or Wednesday for a masterclass in poise. And if you’re a real nerd for her process, go find her old interviews with BAFTA—she talks extensively about the psychological toll of "stripping away her vanity" to play Brienne. It's some of the most honest acting advice you'll ever hear.