See what 27 'Game of Thrones' stars were doing before the show

Casting director Nina Gold first spotted Harington when he was starring in a 2009 London production of "War Horse." She brought him in for an audition, and the rest was history.

"I remember that he was quite tired, because he'd been doing eight shows a week in 'Warhorse' for a year," Gold told Insider in a 2017 interview. "Then he started doing the audition and playing Jon Snow and he was completely brilliant. I do recall the emotional impact of his audition and being blown away. Kit is a phenomenal actor."

"The Station Agent" was directed by Tom McCarthy — the same man who directed the first version of the "Game of Thrones" pilot.

Dinklage also appeared in 2003's holiday movie "Elf."

Hempstead Wright was just about 11 years old when he was cast as Bran Stark in "Game of Thrones." He had been acting in a small UK theater company when he was scouted for the HBO series.

During a 2018 acceptance speech at the British Academy Britannia Awards, Clarke also said that her "biggest job" before the HBO series was "catering parties dressed as Snow White."

His portrayal of Jaime Lannister has introduced the Danish actor to a wider audience.

Since then, the 24-year-old has added more credits to her name, including four episodes of "Doctor Who" and five feature films.

Turner told the Hollywood Reporter that she got the role of the eldest Stark sister when a casting call reached her local middle school. She was taking acting as an elective class, and auditioned without even telling her parents.

Since then, Turner has appeared in a number of films, including "X-Men: Apocalypse."

She went on to appear in films such as "300," and portrayed Sarah Connor in Fox's "The Sarah Connor Chronicles" before landing the role of Cersei Lannister.

Pryce had roles in "Barbarians at the Gate," the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise, and "G.I. Joe" before starring in the HBO series.

Allen didn't act again until 2004's "Agent Cody Banks 2," and then was cast in "Game of Thrones" in 2010.

Whelan is a comedian and professional dancer, and has since appeared in other TV hits like Netflix's "The End of the Fxxxing World."

Fans may also recognize the actor, who played Petyr Baelish (Littlefinger), from HBO's "The Wire."

The actress, who plays Margaery Tyrell, is also well-known for portraying Anne Boleyn in "The Tudors."

He starred as Ser Davos Seaworth in "Game of Thrones" from seasons two through eight.

Christie's portrayal as Brienne of Tarth on "Game of Thrones" was her first major role.

His career has continued to grow, and he's now part of other major franchises like the "Fast and Furious" films and "Justice League."

His feature film debut was in 1988's "Paris by Night" (as seen above). Glen played Ser Jorah Mormont throughout all eight seasons of "Game of Thrones."

She went on to star in "Black Book," "Valkyrie," and "Repo Man" before being cast as Melisandre in "Game of Thrones." Van Houten also appeared in a number of Dutch films and TV series.

Huisman's break in the US came with a starring role as Sonny in HBO's "Treme." He replaced Ed Skrein as Daario Naharis in season four of "Game of Thrones."

McCann played Sandor Clegane, aka "The Hound", in "Game of Thrones."

Her other credits include "Bride and Prejudice" and TV series "Luther." She played Ellaria Sand starting in the fourth season of "Game of Thrones."

Emmanuel went on to score her first on-screen role in the British soap "Hollyoaks." She's started on "Game of Thrones" in 2013 with the role of Missandei.

Rheon was cast as Moritz Stiefel in the London production of "Spring Awakening" and won an Olivier Award for his performance. Directly after that, he was cast in the TV series "Misfits," before becoming the loathsome villain Ramsay Bolton in "Game of Thrones."

Murray played Gilly starting in season two of "Game of Thrones." Her former "Skins" costars, Jacob Anderson (Grey Worm) and Joe Dempsie (Gendry) also had roles in the HBO series.

Bradley's character Sam was one of the few characters who survived all eight seasons of "Game of Thrones."

Addy also appeared in the 2010 movie "Robin Hood," and in the 1998 holiday film "Jack Frost."

Bean played Odysseus in 2004's "Troy," the screenplay for which was written by "Game of Thrones" coshowrunner David Benioff.

To learn more about how the "Game of Thrones" pilot first came about with Benioff and his cocreator D.B. Weiss, read our deep dive into the show's creation here.

Angelica Oswald contributed to a previous version of this article.