You remember that first scene. The snow is thick, the air is freezing, and Samwell Tarly is staring at a girl who looks absolutely terrified in a house of horrors. That was our introduction to Gilly. For years, fans watched her evolve from a victim of Craster’s Keep into a literate, brave mother who arguably discovered the most important secret in Westeros. But if you’ve ever wondered who played Gilly in Game of Thrones, the answer is Hannah Murray, a British actress who brought a specific kind of wide-eyed, quiet resilience to a show otherwise filled with loud, ego-driven warriors.
Hannah Murray wasn't exactly a newcomer when she landed the role. If you were a teenager in the late 2000s, you probably knew her as the ethereal, "oh wow" whispering Cassie Ainsworth from the cult-classic UK drama Skins. Going from a Bristol teen dealing with an eating disorder to a wildling daughter-wife living beyond the Wall is a massive jump. Yet, Murray has this uncanny ability to play characters who feel fragile but are secretly made of steel.
Why Hannah Murray Was the Perfect Gilly
Casting Gilly was tricky. She needed to look like someone who had never seen a city, someone whose entire world was a cramped wooden keep and a terrifying father. Murray has these distinct, expressive eyes. They do a lot of the heavy lifting. In the books, Gilly is young—barely more than a girl—and Murray managed to capture that stunted maturity. She’s a mother who had to grow up in an environment where the "gods" were actually White Walkers coming to take her babies.
It’s easy to forget how much Gilly actually went through. She wasn't just a love interest for Sam. She was a survivor of systematic abuse. Murray played her with a stutter and a hesitation that felt earned. She didn't make Gilly "hollywood brave" immediately. It was a slow burn. One minute she's cowering from a wight, and the next, she's the only person in the room actually reading the old journals at the Citadel while the Maesters ignore the end of the world.
The Skins Connection
A lot of people actually had a hard time separating her from Skins initially. In Skins, Murray played Cassie, a girl who was famously airy and detached from reality. When she showed up in the North, some fans kept waiting for her to say something whimsical. But she disappeared into the role. She swapped the colorful, quirky outfits for heavy furs and dirt. Lots of dirt. Murray has mentioned in interviews that the "grime" of Game of Thrones was a huge part of the process. You can't really feel like a wildling if your fingernails are clean.
The Chemistry Between Gilly and Sam
The relationship between Gilly and Samwell Tarly, played by John Bradley, became the "heart" of the show for many. In a series where people were being decapitated or poisoned at weddings, Sam and Gilly were just... nice. They were two outcasts who found safety in each other.
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Murray and Bradley became close friends in real life, which translated perfectly to the screen. Bradley often joked that Sam was basically a surrogate for the audience, and Gilly was the reason he had to become a hero. Murray played into that beautifully. She wasn't just a "damsel." She pushed Sam. She questioned him. Remember when she called him out for wanting to leave her at Maester Aemon’s side? She had agency, even when the world tried to take it away.
That Massive Season 7 Reveal
We have to talk about the Citadel. While Sam is busy cleaning bedpans and complaining about not being allowed in the restricted section, Gilly is the one who actually finds the bombshell info. She’s the one who reads about Rhaegar Targaryen’s annulment and his secret marriage to Lyanna Stark.
Honestly, the way the scene was written—where Sam ignores her and then later takes credit for the discovery—annoyed a lot of fans. But Murray played it perfectly. She was just curious. She was a woman who had just learned to read, and she was fascinated by the facts. She didn't know she was holding the key to the Iron Throne. She just thought it was an interesting bit of history.
Hannah Murray Beyond the Wall
So, what happened to the actress who played Gilly in Game of Thrones after the show ended in 2019? Murray has always been someone who picks interesting, often darker projects. She doesn't seem interested in the typical blockbuster path.
She took a lead role in the film Detroit (2017), directed by Kathryn Bigelow. It was a brutal, intense movie about the 1967 Algiers Motel incident. Murray played Julie Ann Hysell, a real-life survivor. It was a complete 180 from the fantasy world of Westeros, grounded in a very grim American reality. Critics praised her for being able to portray terror and vulnerability without it feeling like a caricature.
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Life Away From the Spotlight
Murray is famously private. You won't find her posting every meal on Instagram or chasing paparazzi. She actually took a break from acting at one point to study English Literature at Queens' College, Cambridge. That’s pretty rare for someone in the middle of a hit TV show. It speaks to why she was so good at playing Gilly—there’s an intellectual depth to her that she hides behind her characters' eyes.
She’s also done a lot of stage work. If you’re a real fan of her acting, you’d know her from plays like That Face or the West End production of Martine. She’s a "process" actor. She cares about the craft more than the fame.
Addressing the "What Happened to Gilly" Confusion
There's a weird misconception that Gilly died or disappeared. She didn't! She survived the Long Night. She survived the Battle of Winterfell, huddled in the crypts with her son (Little Sam) and the other women and children. In the final episode, we see her one last time, looking healthy and, most importantly, pregnant with Sam’s biological child.
It was one of the few truly "happy" endings in the show. Gilly went from being a nameless daughter of a monster to being a free woman in the North, potentially the wife of the Grand Maester’s best friend.
Key Facts About Hannah Murray as Gilly
- Total Episodes: She appeared in 27 episodes across seasons 2 through 8.
- First Appearance: Season 2, Episode 2, "The Night Lands."
- The "Baby" Secret: Because the show filmed over many years, "Little Sam" was played by several different sets of twins. Murray had to bond with new babies almost every season.
- Awards: Along with the rest of the cast, she was nominated for several Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.
The Legacy of the Character
Gilly represents the "small folk" of George R.R. Martin's world. While the lords and ladies play their games, people like Gilly are the ones who suffer the most. Hannah Murray’s performance ensured that Gilly wasn't just a footnote. She made the audience care about the survival of a wildling girl just as much as they cared about Daenerys or Jon Snow.
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If you’re looking to dive deeper into her work, definitely go back and watch the early seasons of Skins (UK version). The contrast between Cassie and Gilly is the best evidence of her range. She’s an actress who can do a lot with very little dialogue, using silence and subtle shifts in posture to tell a story.
What to Watch Next
If you want to see more of Hannah Murray’s work after finishing your Game of Thrones rewatch, here are a few solid recommendations:
- Bridgend (2015): A very dark, atmospheric film about a string of suicides in a small Welsh town. Not for the faint of heart, but her performance is haunting.
- God Help the Girl (2014): A musical drama written by Stuart Murdoch of Belle and Sebastian. It shows a much lighter, more melodic side of her talent.
- The Chosen (2016): A historical drama about the assassination of Leon Trotsky.
Hannah Murray remains one of those actors who feels like a "best-kept secret," despite being in one of the biggest shows in history. She brought Gilly to life with a quiet dignity that few others could have managed.
To truly appreciate the character of Gilly, you have to look at her evolution as a symbol of literacy and liberation. The next time you rewatch the series, pay attention to the scene where she first learns to read with Shireen Baratheon. It’s one of the most underrated moments in the entire show, and it’s where Gilly truly begins her journey toward the woman she becomes by the finale. It wasn't the dragons that changed her world—it was the books.