You probably don't remember her name, but you definitely remember the face. Or, more accurately, the play. When Arya Stark was hiding out in Braavos, training to become a faceless assassin, she spent a massive chunk of Season 6 hanging around a theater troupe. That’s where we meet Bianca from Game of Thrones. She wasn't a queen. She didn't lead an army. Honestly, she was just a young woman trying to make it in the cutthroat world of Essos theater, but her brief arc actually tells us a lot about how power and jealousy work in George R.R. Martin's universe.
She was played by Eline Powell. Most people know Powell now as the lead in the show Siren, but back in 2016, she was just a supporting player in the "Izembaro" theater troupe. Her character, Bianca, played the role of Sansa Stark in their satirical play The Bloody Hand.
It’s meta. You have a real-life actress playing a fictional actress who is playing a fictionalized version of a character we’ve watched for years.
The Jealousy of Bianca from Game of Thrones
Why does she even matter to the plot? Well, Bianca wasn't exactly a sweetheart. She was the "understudy" type—the ambitious young performer who wanted to replace the lead actress, Lady Crane. In the show, Lady Crane (played by the legendary Essie Davis) was the one Arya was actually sent to kill.
Arya was told to poison Lady Crane’s rum. Why? Because someone paid the Faceless Men to do it.
Arya eventually figures out that it was Bianca who took out the "hit." Bianca wanted Lady Crane dead so she could take over the role of Cersei Lannister. It’s a classic, almost Shakespearean trope of vanity and ambition. You’ve got this huge, sprawling epic about dragons and ice zombies, and then right in the middle of it, a tiny subplot about a girl who just wants more stage time. It’s a grounded, human moment.
The Braavosi Theater Scene
The troupe Bianca belonged to was led by a guy named Izembaro. If you've read the books—specifically the Mercy chapter from The Winds of Winter—you know this storyline is a bit different on the page. In the show, the play The Bloody Hand serves as a way for Arya to process her own family's trauma from a distance.
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She has to watch Bianca (as Sansa) and Lady Crane (as Cersei) reenact the death of her father, Ned Stark. It's brutal.
Bianca’s performance as Sansa is intentionally "bad" or at least melodramatic. It’s meant to show the low-brow nature of the street theater in Braavos. They weren't performing high art; they were performing for the masses who wanted to see the "stuck-up" Westerosi lords look like fools.
Interestingly, while Bianca is the one who wants Lady Crane dead, she isn't actually the one who gets punished in the way you’d expect. Arya decides not to go through with the assassination. She warns Lady Crane and tells her to watch out for Bianca.
"She’s the one who wants you dead," Arya basically says.
What happens next is kind of great. Lady Crane doesn't just fire her. In a very "Game of Thrones" move, Lady Crane disfigures her. We don't see the full fallout on screen, but it's heavily implied that Bianca's acting career is effectively over because her face—the very thing she relied on to play the beautiful Sansa—was ruined.
Eline Powell’s Performance and Career
It’s easy to overlook the guest stars in a show with a cast of hundreds. But Eline Powell brought a specific kind of "mean girl" energy to the role that made the Braavos plotline feel lived-in.
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Before she was Bianca from Game of Thrones, Powell was relatively unknown. This role served as a massive springboard. Shortly after her stint in Westeros, she landed the role of Ryn in Siren. It’s funny to see the contrast. In Siren, she’s this predatory, ethereal mermaid. In Thrones, she’s just a frustrated, jealous theater kid.
She only appeared in two episodes: "The Door" and "Blood of My Blood."
Wait, I should mention "The Door" for a second. That’s the Hodor episode. Most fans were so traumatized by the ending of that episode that they completely blanked on the theater scenes. But if you go back and rewatch, Bianca is right there in the background, seething with resentment every time Lady Crane gets a round of applause.
Why Fans Still Search for Her
You might wonder why people are still looking up a character who only had a few minutes of screen time nearly a decade ago.
- The Faceless Men Lore: People are obsessed with how the Faceless Men choose their targets. The fact that a lowly actress could hire them suggests that the cost isn't always "your life" or some massive price; it's proportional to the person asking.
- The Sansa Connection: Seeing a "fake" Sansa allowed the showrunners to comment on how the rest of the world viewed the Starks. To the people of Braavos, the Starks weren't heroes; they were just characters in a tragic comedy.
- The Cast's Future Success: Because Eline Powell became a cult sci-fi star, her fans often go back to find her "origin" roles.
What Bianca Teaches Us About the World of Ice and Fire
In the grand scheme of things, Bianca is a footnote. But she represents the "smallfolk" perspective.
Most characters in Game of Thrones are obsessed with the Iron Throne. Bianca didn't care who sat on a chair made of swords thousands of miles away. She cared about who got the best lines in a play. It’s a reminder that while the high lords play their games, the rest of the world is just trying to survive or get ahead in their own small circles.
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Her ambition was her undoing. In Braavos, as in King's Landing, if you play the game and lose, the consequences are permanent. She tried to use a guild of magical assassins to solve a workplace rivalry. That is some top-tier pettiness.
Key Takeaways for Game of Thrones Fans
If you're revisiting the series or diving into the lore for the first time, keep an eye on these smaller characters. They often mirror the bigger arcs. Bianca’s jealousy of Lady Crane is a micro-version of Cersei’s jealousy of Margaery Tyrell.
- Watch the background: In the theater scenes, you can see Bianca mimicking Lady Crane’s movements, trying to learn the part she hopes to steal.
- The Price of Death: The show never explicitly says what Bianca paid the Faceless Men. In the books, the price is often something precious to the person. Did she give up her earnings? Her jewelry? We’ll never know.
- The Fate of the Troupe: After the chaos with Arya and the Waif, the troupe leaves Braavos. It’s assumed Bianca was left behind or kicked out after Lady Crane discovered her treachery.
If you're looking for more deep cuts from the Braavos storyline, look into the actor who played the "fake" Ned Stark—Richard E. Grant. The show packed that little theater group with incredible talent just to make the world feel bigger.
Next time you’re doing a rewatch of Season 6, don't skip the play. Look for the girl playing Sansa. That’s Bianca, the girl who almost changed the course of Arya’s life by simply being a terrible coworker.
To really understand the nuance of these scenes, compare them to the "Mercy" chapter in the books. You'll see that while the show simplified things, the core theme of identity and performance remains. Bianca isn't just a character; she's a mirror. She shows us what Sansa might have been if she had no power, and what Arya was trying so hard not to become—someone driven by petty, personal vengeance rather than a sense of justice.
Stay observant. The smallest characters often hold the most interesting secrets in the Seven Kingdoms and beyond.