Fact: the only thing more surprising than Rob Stark being killed off during the Red Wedding (don't @ me, there's no way that's still a spoiler) is how much money the Game of Thrones actors make per episode.
The core cast—aka Emilia Clarke, Kit Harington, Lena Headey, Peter Dinklage, and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau—are among the highest paid actors on television, which makes sense considering GoT was the most popular show in 2018...despite not having any new episodes that year. Think about it: More people watched GoT than any other show and it wasn't! even! on! T! V!
So, how much do Emilia, Kit, Lena, Peter, Nikolaj, and the rest of the cast make? Let's hold internet hands, avoid checking our bank accounts for the next several hours, and dive into their pile of cash together. Allons-y!
Pay Per Episode: $500,000
Net Worth: $12 million.
Kit is considered one of Game of Thrones' main cast members, so yeah, he makes a lot of money. Of course, he was relatively unknown before GoT, meaning that his salary for the first few seasons (before HBO knew the show would be a hit) was likely pretty small. But that all changed in 2014.
Per reports from Deadline, Kit negotiated his per-episode salary to $300,000 right in time for seasons 5 and 6. There were 10 episodes in each season, which means he made up to $6,000,000 in total.
Annnnnd then seasons 7 and 8 hit. Because $300,000 is clearly NOT ENUFF MONEY, Kit and his fellow "Tier A" cast members renegotiated with HBO and walked away with $500,000 per episode. Season 7 had seven episodes and season 8 will have six, which means Kit is making up to $6,500,000 total. So, what'd he make for the whole show? Again, depending on what he was making between seasons 1-4 (which is unknown), the total sum is upwards of $12.5 million. As in, his entire net worth. Cool.
Pay Per Episode: $500,000
Net worth: $9 million
Like Kit, Lena is considered a core cast-member, and she negotiated her salary up from $300,000 an episode to $500,000 an episode. But despite making the same (truly massive) amount of money as Kit, her net worth is slightly smaller—which could have something to do with her financial struggles in 2013, when she claimed to have "less than $5" in her bank account due to a messy divorce. Scary. ?
Pay Per Episode: $500,000
Net Worth: $16 Million
Peter was part of the same negotiation process as Kit and Lena, meaning he's made upwards of $12.5 million just from his work on Game of Thrones. But don't get it twisted, friends. Peter had a major film career before lurking in Westeros, appearing in movies like The Station Agent, Elf, and The Chronicles of Narnia.
Pay Per Episode: $500,000
Net Worth: $13 million
In a truly legendary move, Emilia confirmed that she was making just as much as her GoT co-stars in a Vanity Fair cover story. The exact (iconic) quote was: "I get f*cking paid the same as my guy friends. We made sure of that." And on top of the $12.5-ish million she's made from HBO, she's appeared in numerous movies and ad campaigns. You can get a full breakdown of her net worth over this way. Be prepared to regret all your life choices!
Pay Per Episode: $500,000
Net Worth: $16 million
Yup, Nikolaj was also part of those HBO salary negotiations, meaning he's a multi-millionaire thanks to the show. Guess he's really good at saving cash (omg same! ha ha h—*breaks down weeping*) because he's worth $16 million due to GoT and roles in films like Black Hawk Down.
Per Episode Salary: $150,000...maybe...
Net Worth: $6 million
So...the salary of Sophie, Maisie, and the rest of the Game of Thrones "Tier B" cast hasn't been reported on by any official outlets. Buuuuut Celebrity Net Worth claims Maisie makes $150,000 per episode. Which seems sort of low, TBH?! The good news is that between HBO's payroll department and movies like The New Mutants, she's got a reported $6 million in her bank account. Which is approximately $6 million more than I have in my bank account.
Pay Per Episode: ¯_(ツ)_/¯
Net Worth: $6 million
Like Maisie, there's just not a lot of info out there for Sophie, but she must be doing pretty well to have a net worth of $6 million. Though that could have something to do with her X-Men movies and lucrative endorsement deals. Just saying!
Credit: Cosmopolitan