Awards

Watchers on the Wall Awards: Best Actor & Best Actress

Posted on by Watchers on the Wall

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After weeks of preliminary round voting, we’ve reached the finals of the Watchers on the Wall Awards, celebrating the best of Game of Thrones season 5! We’re jumping right into the deep end with the finals, starting the voting with two big categories today- Best Actor and Best Actress.

In the finals, unlike the preliminaries, fans have one vote to cast in each category, and 48 hours to make their decision and vote.

The leading actress nominees are:

  • Gwendoline Christie as Brienne of Tarth – Watch her in Season 5 on Youtube
  • Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen – Watch her in Season 5 on Youtube
  • Lena Headey as Cersei Lannister – Watch her in Season 5 on Youtube
  • Sophie Turner as Sansa Stark – Watch her in Season 5 on Youtube
  • Maisie Williams as Arya Stark – Watch her in Season 5 on Youtube

The Best Actress poll is at the bottom of the post, along with the Best Actor poll.

Competing in the Best Actor category this year, we have these talented men:

  • John Bradley as Samwell Tarly – Watch him in Season on Youtube
  • Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Jaime Lannister – Watch him in Season 5 on Youtube
  • Stephen Dillane as Stannis Baratheon – Watch him in Season 5 on Youtube
  • Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister – Watch him in Season 5 on Youtube
  • Kit Harington as Jon Snow – Watch him in Season 5 on Youtube

Best Actress Poll:

Best Actor Poll:

The final round polls will be open for 48 hours each, beginning now and running until 9/23/15 at 3PM EDT. The results will be revealed at the Watchers On The Wall Awards ceremony in a few weeks time!

Choose wisely, and may the best actor and actress win!

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Watchers on the Wall

179 Comments

  8. I love me some Bri (clearly), but I have to give it to Sophie Turner. She just had more to work with this season.

  10. I gave this one to Lena and Kit: both had their BIG moments this season and really put their teeth into their roles.

  15. Lena Headey and Stephen Dillane. I’ve been nominating the two everywhere I could for the last 2 or 3 years, but if there was ever a time, their time, it’s now. Let’s not allow Stannis’ claim to be forgotten and let’s not allow him to become a page in someone else’s history book! 😀

  16. It’s so difficult for me to decide for whom to vote for for Best Actress. I guess I can eliminate Emilia, although I enjoyed her work more this season than in any seaso except 1 and parts of 3. I’m only eliminating Gwendoline because she had less to do than the 3 remaining actresses. I still don’t know how to choose between Lena, Maise, and Sophie, though. I thought each of them had stellar moments, and Maise and Sophie are so young. I supposed I’ll have to think on’t a bit more. I will be giving Stephen my Best Actor vote, though. I may not be able to stand Stannis as a character, but Dillane was, imo, brilliant, this season. It was so great to see him (because of the material he was given) be able to show various shades in his characterization.

  19. Lena (Runner up: Sophie)
    Stephen (Runner up: Kit)

    All the performances were great from the artists in both categories, but I felt Lena’s Walk elevated her above the rest. Stannis’ decision to sacrifice his daughter was brought to life by Stephen Dillane, and Dillane’s haunting reaction to Shireen’s death and his refusal to give up was superb.

    I’m 100% sure that Lena will win best actress. It’s difficult to say between Stephen and Kit for best actor, but either of them will be a worthy winner.

    The Dink may have won the Emmy, but I can’t see him winning here. And these are definitely more prestigious.

  20. Headey and Dillane. Not even a hesitation. Almost all of the others have had their shining moments, but for S5 those 2 earned it. Harington was the only one close to Dillane this year.

  21. Lena and Peter for the wins.

    Hard not to vote for favorite characters, but for best acting, these two are the winners.

  22. The big question for this one will be who wins Best Actor, Kit Harington or Stephen Dillane.

    I voted for Kit, but Stephen would be deserving as well. I voted for Harington because he gave an award-worthy performance throughout the season. Dillane was consistently good, but I’m not sure I would have considered voting for him as “the best” until episode 9. His performance in “Dance of Dragons” and “Mother’s Mercy” is pretty fantastic but Kit had great acting moments in almost every episode of the season. His conversation with Mance; that look on his face when Stannis offers to legitimize him; the execution of Janos; every scene he had in “Kill the Boy,” honestly; Hardhome, of course; his last scene with Sam; and his death scene. He had to carry what was arguably the most prominent storyline of the season, and he did an excellent job. Had to cast my vote for Kit.

  23. Lena Headey, Kit Harington! That was surprisingly easy.

    The runner-ups would be Sophie Turner and Stephen Dillaine.

  27. Sarah,

    Supporting Actor. He was in the supporting position in most of his scenes with Tyrion, and that’s where his nominations from people were stronger.

  28. I voted for Lena Heady, but I’m kind of hoping that Emilia gets some decent support. She had a great year this year. Like Iain Glen, she did a lot of impressive non-verbal acting, especially in Episodes 2 and 9. I’m also starting to finally appreciate just how much I take for granted her scenes with the dragons. I imagine it must be so hard to communicate so much emotionally with a scene partner that doesn’t actually exist (a challenge that is unique to Clarke), and she hits it out of the park every time.

  30. Lena,very good ,Maisie is overrated,is badass not credible
    Kit Harington,great in ALL this 5 season of GoT, great great great in scenes of Hardhome, a lot of emotion.In Hardhome , the best episode ever of GoT,Kit play very well,also physically and no one is like him.Peter Dinklage won Emmy Arwards 2015 but Kit is better in GoT 5 ,Peter is boring..in season 5

  31. Sophie & Kit for the win!

    I loved some brilliant scenes by Lena and Stephen but I had to go with an overall appreciation of the season.

  33. At least going by the comments, it seems the main battle is between Harington and Dillaine (I’d be happy with either!); and, though Headey will probably win, I’d say Turner may be a close second.

  34. Hodor Targaryen,

    Wanted to vote for Emilia, absolutly love all of her scenes.

    The amount of emotion she portray’s with those GCI dragons, is outstanding.
    Her face when she saw Jorah in the pit.
    Her lighter momments with Selmy/Daario.
    All her scenes with the dragons.

    Now that I think better, I should have voted her. Is there anyway to change my vote?

  36. The best actress was an easy choice for me… Lena Headey all the way!

    The best actor was a tough choice. Hmmm… Loved all those guys this season but I really think Stephen Dillane was an amazing Stannis. So he won my vote.

  38. Man, if this was a contest of “Most Improved” I’d be picking Kit Harington in a heartbeat, it wouldn’t even bear thinking about. But for now, in this field, I’m still favouring Dillane that little extra bit.

    As for actresses I’d go with Lena Headey with a shout-out to Sophie Turner.

  40. I voted Lena and Kit Harington.

    I thought Kit really matured into a great leading actor this season and the Wall storyline was the most compelling. Peter and Nikolai didn’t have as good material to work with as they had in previous seasons.

  43. Well, Lena and Kit it was for me !

    Damn, judging by the comments, it’s gonna be a tough one between Kit and Stephen !

    And it’s an easy walk for Cersei ! ^^

  44. Actors
    1. Kit Harington – For much of the series he’s been pegged as one of the weaker performers. I always assessed him as a solid performer, but whose work fluctuated a lot more depending on the writing (and I think the Icelandic filming conditions in seasons 2 & 3 impacted him). This season he had by far the best storyline, and he completely delivered. He gets my vote.
    2. Stephen Dillane – Dillane is in my top 2 for performance, but I decided to give the prize to Harington since I liked the latter’s story much more. I’ll miss D
    3. John Bradley – for most of the series, he’s outshone Harington whenever they’re in scenes together; I’d say he’s overall the better actor. And he had a very good little sideplot this season.
    4. Peter Dinklage – an undeniably great actor, but the character just doesn’t interest me anymore, so I don’t appreciate his work as much as I otherwise might.
    5. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau – got stuck in what was hands down the worst plotline of the season, and while he did some good work, this was definitely a forgettable year for him.

    Actresses
    1. Lena Headey – great actress in one of the stronger storylines. Weirdly, I thought she was likely to win the Emmy even if the show didn’t take anything else among the top prizes, but the reverse ended up being true. She gets my vote.
    2. Sophie Turner – she was the best she’s ever been this year, in a storyline I viscerally disliked.
    3. Maisie Williams – her story was a bit slow to start, but had a great finish, and Maisie continues to impress.
    4. Emilia Clarke – the most inconsistent performer amongst the major players, in my view (though some of that is the writing). This season had some of my favourite Daenerys moments since the first season (in particular, her initial spotting of Drogon; Clarke doesn’t get enough credit for how well she’s able to work with special effects), and some other moments I wasn’t as wild about.
    5. Gwendoline Christie – she’s a better actress than Clarke, and I might have ranked her higher had she had more to do. She had a couple of really great scenes here (her backstory monologue about Renly in episode 3, in particular), but pretty much vanished in the second half of the season.

  47. Young Griff:
    What, no Obara Sand?

    Oh dear YG, we’ll have to send you to sit on the naughty step. To be fair to the Obara actress she was good in “Whale Rider” when she was a kid but I know that’s not what is being voted for here.

  48. Dillane and Williams.
    Runners-up: Dinklage and Headey

    Sorry, but unlike many others, I don’t consider Harington a good actor. He always has the same expression on his face (it was really akward in “For the Watch”), but unlike Charles Dance or McElhatton, he doesn’t have a commanding presence or that many registers.

    Sorry, English is not my first language.

  52. Lena and Stephen all the way. Lena is a very easy choice. Walk of the Shame just proves her class once again. Still a little bit bitter about her Emmy snub, but maybe she’ll win it next year.

    Stephen is the reason, why the Wall arc in the first 4 episodes was so much good(after that WW and Hardhome). His scenes with Kit are among the very best from this season and if not the whole series. His presence and Carice, Liam, Kerry truly helped them.

    Unsuprisingly a lot of love for Kit. The guy improved so much over the last few years. Credit where it’s due,but Stephane is just a class of his own in this season. Sorry Kit.

  53. Turner and DIllane.

    Surpised myself going for Sophie but I think she pips Lena who I think has had much better seasons whereas Sophie had been pretty forgettable until this one.

  54. Lena and Stephen. Both pulled off some incredible emotional moments and Stephen had the best consecutive-episode-acting-run (that’s a thing now, yeah) in E9 and E10.
    Kit, while strong, will get his chance in S6, me thinks. 🙂

  55. Lena and Stephen, but I must admit Kit would deserve it this year as well. He’ll get another chance though 😉

  56. Dame of Mercia: Oh dear YG, we’ll have to send you to sit on the naughty step.To be fair to the Obara actress she was good in “Whale Rider” when she was a kid but I know that’s not what is being voted for here.

    She was also perfect as Mary in The Nativity Story. Very convincing. But she hasn’t impressed as Obara Sand, I am willing to wait until next year before I condemn the whole Dorne plot.

    Maybe we/I have been spoiled with so many fantastic plots for GoT’s that the expectation is so high…also we are already so invested in the existing characters and now there is this whole new plot to follow. Personally, I want to love it all…..I am confident that season 6 will astound us all.

  58. Lena Headey – Easy choice. With all that great material that Cersei got, this was simply Lena’s season to shine, and she nailed it.

    Stephen Dillane – This was a little harder. Peter was great as always (even if it wasn’t Tyrion’s greatest season) and this was also the best season for Kit so far. However, Stephen Dillane has been throughout the story of Stannis so amazing and this is his last year so I’ll give my vote for him.

  64. It’s Lena by a long shot in the actress category, and an easy win for her, methinks.

    As for the second, NCW didn’t have so much to do this year. Peter was undeniably great but less interesting than other years. John Bradley is way underrated, but I can’t go with him.

    I gave it to Kit. It’ll be a close race, though I don’t think he’s going to take this one, honestly.

  66. Wow…

    Great minds think alike!

    For everyone else who voted for Lena and Stephen.

    I will admit the other male actors made it tough. Peter is always good and Kit really did have a breakout season IMO.

  68. I voted Sophie and Kit. Lena’s awesome as always, and Peter’s great. But we didn’t get a ton of Dinklage awesomeness until he schooled the Mother of Dragons, while Turner really displayed how much she as an actress has progressed over the years. I couldn’t vote for Gwen or Maisie. One didn’t have many scenes and the other had very boring ones. I miss the Arya/Hound partnership so bad! I just don’t feel the cool chemistry with Arya and Jaqan that made us really like the assassin in Season 2. And Season 5 was the Snow season. Kit really displayed progress, it’s because of him that the world stood still when we heard “For the Watch”

  71. Maisie Williams – Outstanding performance
    Stephen Dillane – Wonderful

    I thought Lena did a superb job this season, but I do think Maisie’s scenes were perfection, and were made even more noteworthy because of her age. I am also extremely dismayed that Iain Glenn (Jorah) was not on the list as he portrayed such deep emotion this season without even uttering a word.

  73. Making the 8:
    Where the hell are the noms for
    Elizabeth Cadwallader and
    Ross O Henessey?

    #disrespectful

    How is that disrespectful?
    This is the Lead Actor/Actress category.

  74. Stephen (saying that, I was very pleasantly impressed by Kit this season).

    And Lena, without a second thought. Still gutted she didn’t get her Emmy. Here’s hoping for a meaty S6 for Cersei and the recognition she deserves.

  75. Peter & Lena
    Kit was great and I wanted to go with him, but Peter is just so good in every scene.
    This season showed such range for Lena.
    Sophie was so good too; she’d be first the runner up.

  77. I was torn between Kit Harington and Stephen Dillane. I chose Kit because he took some steps up as an actor, and improved his overall performance this past season.

    Lena Headey for best actress.

  78. It’s funny how different everyone looks in these photos compared to on the red carpet last night!

    Best Actress was probably the easiest decision to make and took no thought whatsoever. Lena of course 🙂

    For Best Actor – I went for Stephen. Kit has improved drastically but I would say while he is excellent at the physical fighting scenes he can still be a wee bit wooden. Stephen has always been very subtle and as he didn’t play one of the more popular showy characters sadly rather underrated.

    I am surprised John Bradley is in here as opposed to Alfie Allen – not that either of them probably got enough screentime to beat out Kit, Stephen and Peter.

    I love Nicolaj as Jaime but sadly he didn’t get much to do this season.

  79. Everyone listed did a fine job, but Lena Headey and Stephen Dillane absolutely killed it this season. The choices are clear to me.

  80. Tough one because I thought they all gave stellar performances and shone in their own way but I went with Lena and Kit. How did Alfie not make it in there? I guess the others had more scenes so that makes sense.

  82. Aryamad,

    Alfie had significantly less screen time than everyone in this category. And even when he was onscreen, some of the time he wasn’t talking or was supporting other people. Tough call sometimes, but he had many more votes in the supporting category, so that’s where he goes.

  84. Best actress was Sophie Turner for me. Great in her scenes on the road to Winterfell, confronting Theon, the awkward family dinner and the horrible wedding night.

    I think Lena Headey was great too, as usual, but I feel that apart from the walk of shame she didn’t actually have as much to work with as in previous seasons.

    As for best actor, that has to be Stephen Dillane. For his scenes with Shireen alone (both the story of how she got greyscale, and his last talk with her before the sacrifice), he deserves to win.

  85. The actress was easy. As far as I’m concerned Lena was robbed at the Emmy’s last night. And a body double shouldn’t have anything to do with it. Being naked shouldn’t be a condition of winning. Her expression and her voice during her sentencing and entire walk said it all. In fact season 5 was an incredible season for her.
    For actor it was harder. I ended up choosing Kit based on not only how much time he was given this season, but I feel the quality of his acting is just getting better and better. Hardhome wasn’t just great for fight scenes. I felt that his reactions, leadership, and communication with everyone around him was fantastic. Stephen Dillane was definitely my second choice, followed by Peter. Alfie should have been a nominee though.

  86. As I don’t really concur with the vague distinction between lead and supporting acting categories (for example, how much screentime was actually devoted to Jamie Lannister in Season 5?)…here are my own contributions.

    Male:
    Easy.

    1. Alfie Allen 2. Stephan Dillane 3. Jonathan Price.
    Honourable mention goes , as someone stated above, to Kit Harrington. He really did improve his acting.
    Alfie keeps impressing me with his versatile acting, playing three different characters simultaniously. I felt broken myself watching his performance.

    Female:
    Surprisingly difficult this year. Lena was great as Cercei – but she is great every year and I have found her even more impressive in previous seasons. So I never expected this to happen ever but…

    1. Emilla Clark. 2. Lena Heady 3. Sophie Turner.

    Emilla, I noticed, has been criticized for her wooden performance. But I have to admit that in Season 5, I nearly enjoyed all of her scenes. Even more so, I was impressed several times by her subtile acting.

  87. Sophie Turner,because her microacting this season was outstanding in my opinion espacially in episode 5-7.

    Stephen Dillane

  88. Lena Headey and Stephen Dillane. Both had some of the most memorable scenes and displayed a wide range of emotions.
    I’m surprised Alfie Allen and Iain Glen did not make the top 5, I would’ve removed Nikolaj and Kit to include them.
    As far as the actresses, I cant fathom how Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams can beat the likes of Carice V Houten and Tara Fitzgerald.

  90. Darkstar:
    That was easy. Lena and Stephen for the win!

    Same here funnily enough, Lena and Stephen ftw!

    Both did great in challenging and diverse narratives, eg Lena was in a position where a character has to think they are in a position of power when in reality they are making fool choices

    Stephen had a reserved martial character who had to be endearing and then go through the turmoil of the toughest choice and its consequences (not going to blame him for the writers and directors not quite building the case up)

    Eg Lena had to go through the marge burn, master the smug self-satisfaction smile and then the utter humiliation of the WoS, all diverse challenges

    Stephen had to go through the tear-jerking “you are my daughter” speech, be a de facto mentor to Jon Snow – all mentor/fatherly qualities and then go through the shipwreck of his march to Winterfell, face getting slaughtered and still draw his sword like a boss and then look Brienne in the eye, have the guts admit to his blood magic shenanigans which has wrought the destruction of House Baratheon and accept his fate like a man

    Might sound odd but I still actually respect Stannis the Mannis, the major issue is he was made to drink the corrupting R’hlorr kool-aid through Mel and there is a thematic point in the story of House Baratheon in that R’hlorr like the Others only leads to destruction (take note Dany fans…)

    Lena did great

  92. Lena & Kit.

    Sophie and/or Maisie would be very close runner ups with Stephen Dillane a close contender as well.

  93. One to watch for the future is Jonathan Pryce as High Sparrow

    Frankly Pryce filled the vacuum left by Charles Dance as Tywin quite well

    Pryce character was just a warm up this season, so despite the fact Pryce totally hit it out of the park (especially with that “strip away the gold” speech) think we will see his truly come into his own as the High Sparrow becomes an established player rather than just a rising power

  94. Damn, I always thought that when people said they forgot to vote that they’re full of shit, but I forgot to vote on Best Quote.. *Benioff’s reaction: o.0

    Lena and Stephen. Though Kit deserves massive props and Sansa got a WHOLE lot more to work with this season compared to S4, but Lena just got that extra level. Not counting the Walk of Shame, because that was 50% Rebecca van Cleave (still don’t care what some people on here say, I still wonder if they’ve ever been in a casting in their lives).

    Still major props to Dinklage Pete for getting that madness Emmy win. I really want to know what scene won it for him. Which episode did he submit?

  97. 1 Lena Headey
    I’ve always thought she was the best actress on the series. This year it was closer. She had the best material – the walk, the scenes in the sept – and was generally solid. But I thought some of her vocal work was a bit quiet and the younger actors – Emilia, Sophie and Maisie had strong seasons.

    2 Kit Harington
    I was very tempted to go for Stephen Dillane who was superb but Kit dominated the series this year and showed more confidence and range. He really gets Jon Snow now.

  98. Ravigotto:
    As I don’t really concur with the vague distinction between lead and supporting acting categories (for example, how much screentime was actually devoted to Jamie Lannister in Season 5?)

    I would say the most relevant consideration to whether somebody is a lead is whether they have their own storyline. Jaime does. Theon, by comparison, had his book arc weirdly reconfigured to make him a supporting character whose development is neverthless the object of the arc. Note that he has no scenes with Ramsay or Sansa, whereas both of them have scenes without him. Theon has been a lead character in prior seasons, and probably will be again, but I’d agree he was supporting this year.

    Darjan:
    As far as the actresses, I cant fathom how Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams can beat the likes of Carice V Houten and Tara Fitzgerald.

    Neither van Houten or Fitzgerald are leads.

  99. Ravigotto:

    Emilla, I noticed, has been criticized for her wooden performance. But I have to admit that in Season 5, I nearly enjoyed all of her scenes. Even more so, I was impressed several times by her subtile acting.

    I’ve been willing to give Emilia the benefit of the doubt over the irritating and cringeworthiness of Dany

    Firstly, because of the issues of the Feminist cause having seemingly been projected onto Dany one feels which constrains the character arc somewhat lest it clashes with the Feminist narrative – eg Dany acting like a petulent, entitled spoiled brat at the end of season 2 was fantastic

    Secondly, and more important in terms of ASOIF and GoT as a story, it is perhaps purposefully wooden because Dany (not Emilia) is acting how she thinks she is meant to be acting and it doesen’t fit her personally

    That is to say she is effectively trying to fit Viserys narrative instead of her own,
    Emilia did a great job and Dany felt more authentic in season 1, get a sense that there’s a possibility we may go back to that now

  102. Tough call for Best Actress between Lena Heady and Maisie Williams… but I think Heady earned it with the Walk of Shame. So, Lena it is.

    Best Actor is no competition. Stephen Dillane knocked it out of the ****ing park.

  103. DuckEggBlue,

    May I ask, if you were pleasantly surprised by Kit this year why did you choose Stephen? Just curious. Imo Kit had a lot more to do and he excelled.

    Dillane as Stannis does subtle and commanding presence very well I give him that. But…

    Maybe I’m just too fangirly and blinded by my love for Jon Snow:)

  104. Egritte,

    Haha!

    I am a guy and I have become fangirly about Jon Snow, so don’t feel bad!

    I LOVED Kit’s portrayal as Jon Snow this year but Stephen just nailed everything there is about Stannis, from settle expressions to even grinding his teeth.

    You could just feel the turmoil going on inside him in those scenes with Shireen.

    He really nailed the religious, torn zealot who was determined to stay the course, but at the same time knowing it was wrong and unforgivable.

    Kit has got the Jon Snow part down, but Stephen became a living, breathing Stannis IMO.

    Stephen and the guy who played Tywin, IMO, are in a league of their own and it really sucks they both are dead.

  105. This was really easy for me. Stephan Dillane and Lena Headey. Kit had by far his strongest season, but I am still haunted by Stephan’s performance in the final two episodes. Plus, it is his farewell(not that it matters, as he is the clear winner this season).

  106. lena & kit take it away.

    Maisie & stephen & peter are super close 2nds.

    I wanted to cry, not being able to choose gwen or john 🙁 only because of less screentime & impact on story. they r 2 of my favs 🙂 i wish they could be recognized in a separate category

  108. I think it’s interesting to note that Lena and Dillane are probably, I don’t know this for sure, each the most season actor in their category.

    I know Lena has been doing this acting gig for a longtime, was in 300 and in her own Terminator series. The other women, GoT is there first true gig except for Christie, whom I think was an experienced theatre actress.

    And Dillane, I am guessing he has been around as a working actor for decades. I know he was in HBO’s John Adams. I am sure he has more experience then any of the males in his category except maybe Peter.

    So basically what I am saying is give these noob actors and actresses another 30+ years of experience behind the camera and think of how amazing they will be.

    Dillane and Headey and grizzled vets and their performances every year really show it.

    All this is my sole opinion of course, just letting you all know what my eyes see.

  109. Sean C.,

    Yeah, what he said.

    Theon/Reek never had a scene without Sansa or Ramsay, and Sansa was more often the focus of the scene, the lead. We also warned in advance we’d take into account how people voted to help us determine lead vs supporting. Alfie was definitely supporting and I think that’s accurate. He did not lead his own storyline this year the way Sam and Jaime did. He also only about 65% of the screentime John Bradley had.

    Honestly, I’d guess Alfie has a much better chance of winning supporting than lead so I’d hope his fans would be glad of that.

  112. Sue the Fury,

    Don’t get me wrong: I can totally live with whatever selection process you guys apply on these elections. And I think you have a fair point here.

    Personally, in case of GoT, I would put nearly every actor/actress on the list because in the end; whats truly the diference between 25 or 35 minutes of screentime? Or the difference between Theon supporting Sansa or vice versa?
    Just my opinion.

    Anyway; I put my money on Kit!

  113. Lena and Kit. It was a really though choice between Kit and Stephen, I almost went for Stephen because he’s such a perfect Stannis. However, when I think of best acting awards these usually go to protagonists and under that measuring stick, Jon is a protagonist where as Stannis is a supporting character. I can’t be sure but would it be correct to say that Kit had more screen time in season 5 than Stephen? Also, I took into account that Kit has been tasked with carrying tent pole sequences in back to back seasons and he has done it successfully. In Blackwater, Tyrion was perhaps the focus but Peter had Stephen and Liam, Lena, Sophie, Jack and Rory. Hardhome was centered around Kit because he was the one character we were most invested in. In a way, despite all the marvelous CGI and choreography, Hardhome worked as well as it did because Jon truly cemented himself as the de facto ‘hero’ in a world full of Boltons and Lannisters. And Kit was able to finally grow Jon from a naive boy into a man who understands what truly is at stake. So yeah, I went for Kit. Granted, to be honest, Jon Snow is my favorite character so I can’t claim that didn’t have an effect on my decision. 🙂

  114. Maisie Williams is a nice personn but she is an extreamly bad actress. Her acting just isn’t believable and is plain dumb. I even consider Emilia Clarke a better actress.

  116. Motels On Mars:
    Maisie Williams
    Stephen Dillane

    Voted the same. Maisie killed it. I believed everything she sold on screen. Even the lies.

    Dillane was hands down the one that got to me the most this season. Impressed me with his talent once more. He succeeded in making me feel everything! Pride and warmth when he hugged Shireeen and called her his daughter, righteousness and agreement when he nodded approvingly at Jon Snow for the uncompromising position and leadership he showed when assuming command of NW, respect for his determination and desperation when he made his stand in front of Davos saying that this is IT and he won’t be the king who ran away, unbridled hate for Stannis when he sacrificed his child, pity and disgust at him and his look of resignation when he saw his wife body hanging from a tree and finally acceptance that Stannis is who he is, however dark he turned, and death will be met on his terms. “Do your duty”.

    Awesome job Mr. Dillane. We were lucky to have you!
    Also: Fewer. *applause*

  118. Gameoffacts,

    What’s your level of expertise here? Are you an acting teacher? A casting director? Maybe an established actor yourself?

    I’m just asking, because it would be at least easier for me to take you serious if you could back your claims up with something like that.

  119. This is always hard because of the nature of the show, those actors who have enough screen time really don’t have enough screen time!

  120. Lena and Stephen.

    Stannis really had emotional meat to deal with this season and Stephen delivered. Always does.
    Lena is always fantastic and I don’t even think this was her strongest year. The WoS was fantastic and that gave her my vote. The past 2 seasons it was easily Maisie, who just impresses the hell out of me but this season felt a bit slower. Still had some great Arya moments but it definitely felt like it was a transitional season for the character. I don’t even know if that makes sense…it did in my head. 🙂
    Sophie has been so strong, I just wish the writing for Sansa was as strong as I know she can deliver. Even with that, the girl can cry like a pro! I just wish more of her arc was her own and not what Ramsey would do next or whether or not Theon/Reek was going to help her. I kind of wanted to see “Darth” Sansa, getting all manipulative (even if it is a bit premature) and using her influence (or Littlefinger’s coaching) to internally pull some Winterfell strings. Maybe next season!
    Kit had his best season, even if this wasn’t one of my favorite seasons overall.
    NCW? Great actor, terrible season. The Dorne stuff makes me not give a shit. Same with Brienne on her quest. Two road trips this season (P/B and J/B) and both went out with a whimper.
    Lot’s of great performances but I really think this was the season of the bit players and supporting crew. Tormund, Samwell, Selmy, Davos, Edd, Theon/Reek, Jaquen, High Sparrow, Wun Wun(!)…even smaller parts like Karsi, really did steal the show for me*.

    *except the Sand Snakes. Oh…the possibilities!

  123. Sophie and Stephen.

    Lena is always brilliant, her performance during the walk was immense, but Sophie has grown as an actress and her performance is one I’m excited about in future seasons especially after the events of S5. She displayed a myriad of emotions throughout the whole season, and for that I marginally pick her over Lena.

    Stephen is simply the unsung actor of GoT. His performance over the course of the season was my favourite and in an ideal world he’d have won an Emmy.

  128. Had to vote for Lena, hands down. She brought so much depth to her character this season and she really deserved that Emmy last night.

    Was really torn by this one but went with Kit. I loved how they fleshed out Stephen’s character and he did a wonderful job. I love John Bradley any time he’s on screen, I tend to root for the nerds. Nickolaj is great and Peter’s character is my fav in the whole show. However, Kit really brought a new dimension to his performance and IMO really stood out this season.

  130. I had to go for Lena and Kit. I’d have liked to see Lena win an Emmy and this was maybe her best year tied with season 2. Kit has really stepped up over the past couple of years and needs more recognition. As bad as Pompeii probably was (still haven’t seen it) it must have taught him how to be a lead, rather than supporting actor. I’ve become far more confident that he’ll be able to handle whatever is in store for him if he rises from the dead.

  131. Lena Headey
    Stephen Dillane

    I just can’t say enough about Stephen Dillane’s performance. He was perfect.

  132. Pigeon,

    Thank you 🙂 I realized how much I’ll miss his presence after the season was done. So there’s not a lot of other moments now where I can express (on topic for a change) my admiration for what he’s done this year.

  134. Emilia and Kit.
    Emilia tends to get a lot if criticsm from the GOT community, but I think that she has the most expressive eyes. She portrays Dany perfectly, IMO. She goes from regal aloofness to scared young girl in a heartbeat, and her eyes say it all.
    Kit has really come a long way this season, and I cant wait to see more of him!

  135. They are all great actors and actresses, but I’ve voted for Lena and Kit…
    A big shout-out to Sophie for her impressive performance during season 5!

  136. Went for Lena Heady (still cannot understand why she did not get the Emmy) and Kit Harington, because he was able to rise to the plate even in the company of far more seasoned actors like Dillane (my very close 2nd place – I really debated over this), Liam Cunningham, Ciaran Hinds, Owen Teele and Carice van Houten.

  138. Voted for Lena and Kit. I was never a fan of Kit until this season. His acting just amazed me especially in the Hardhome episode. I’m so upset Lena didn’t take home the Emmys last night so I hope she wins here.

  139. The actor I really wanted to vote for is missing: Alfie Allen, who just keeps getting better and better. Completely, terrifyingly, heartbreakingly convincing as a shattered man.

  141. Lena and Stephen, no question. This season was their characters’ moment to shine, and they both knocked it out of the park, delivering series-best work and then some. Well done indeed.

  143. I voted for Lena Headey and Kit Harington. This was their season. I thought Lena gave the best performance of any cast member this year – the Walk of Shame sealed it, but she had so many great scenes to revel in. Her confrontation with Margaery the morning after the wedding. Her sit-down with Olenna. Her duplicitous yet emotionally honest consolation of Tommen after Margaery’s arrest. Her defiance of Septa Unella and the growing desperation with Qyburn. Every moment she shared the screen with Jonathan Pryce. She may not have won the Emmy, but she’ll win this category comfortably.

    Kit has been underrated performer for several years, but this was his strongest material to date. He rose to the challenge and reached a new level of excellence as the central figure of the season’s best storyline. Whether Jon was negotiating with Stannis, staring down the Night’s King and his horde, treating for the last time with Mance, or saying his final goodbye to Sam, Kit embodied the quiet strength and determination that made the young Lord Commander such a capable leader. Yet the crushing burden of the immense responsibility he had shouldered was never far from his thoughts, and he never let the audience forget it. He’s truly come into his own as this critically important character, and the show is reaping the benefits of that growth.

    Sophie Turner and Stephen Dillane were my runner-ups. I thought that Turner was even better than she was last year, when she won this category. As for Dillane, he was very, very close to snaring my vote. The tragic fall of Stannis Baratheon was surprising to many, but it was riveting to watch. Dillane captured Stannis’s visceral struggle perfectly, and it led to some of the best-acted and most gut-wrenching scenes the show has ever done. I won’t be surprised if he wins, and he’ll be supremely deserving if he does.

  144. Lena Headey, defiently. A big SHAME she didn’t win.
    The male vote is a bit more difficult for me, but Peter Dinklage, I would say.

  147. Arthur,

    🙂 I don’t know why but I didn’t get the sense that he was really that torn about things. Maybe I’m forgetting how he was in previous seasons. I can only really remember particulars about this one. I got the feeling that while he did have some ambivalent feelings it was speaking more towards he wasn’t sure whether certain things would pay off for him or not rather than if they were morally right. There was a bit of disconnect there when Shireen burned. They’d just had a touching father-daughter moment and when she was being burned alive I couldn’t see emotion on his face. His expression was neutral, not even pained at what he I suppose, felt he had to do. But yeah, Charles Dance was a formidable Tywin, Loved his portrayal.

  148. Actresses:

    1. Lena Headey
    That one’s easy. Amazing as usual in her scenes within the Red Keep and even better when she dealt with the High Sparrow or was imprisoned. WoS just sealed the deal and I don’t understand how she didn’t get the Emmy.
    2. Sophie Turner
    Another great year for Sophie – less so for Sansa, but that’s not up to debate here. Had some great scenes, like the dinner with the Boltons, her wedding or her scenes with Theon plus a great finale.
    3. Emilia Clarke
    She didn’t get many great moments, but delivered whenever she had a chance. A couple of nice scenes early in the season (the execution, the burning of that random noble) and finished strong. She was really great in Hardhome (nice subtle acting when she decided over Jorah’s fate and noticeably different and more relaxed once she decided that Tyrion was okay) and of course in her own episode. Looking forward to her Dothraki stuff next year, could be her best season yet, even stronger than season one.
    4. Maisie Williams
    She simply didn’t get that much to do. Solid performance all year long, but few great moments like her stabbing the living hell out of Meryn Trant. Next year sounds more promising.
    5. Gwendoline Christie
    Had even less good stuff than Maisie. Strong scenes early (her talk about Renly was really nice) and in Mother’s Mercy, but more or less completely disappeared between that.

    Actors:
    1. Stephen Dillane
    That was a bit closer, but I had to give him the nod over Kit here. Overall the second best performance behind only Charles Dance. Even got to show the softer side of Stannis and simply nailed everything thrown at him. Have to check out some of his other work.
    2. Kit Harrington
    I always thought he did a fine job portraying Jon, he mostly suffered from the same symptom as Emilia – while she has to portray a sometimes wooden Dany who has to keep her emotions hidden, Kit had to play emo, sometimes whiny Jon Snow. Thank the gods that’s a thing of the past, as he did a great job once Jon got to grow up and finally do something interesting. Hopefully, he doesn’t have to sit out too long next year and we get the resurrection fairly early (I’m guessing season premiere).
    3. Peter Dinklage
    Season two will probably always be the best season of Tyrion, but he managed to make a lot out of a so-so material. Nice showcase of his comedic talent until he finally arrived in Meereen, a couple of great dramatic scenes after that. I’m as surprised by his Emmy win as he is (should’ve gone to Jonathan Banks or maybe Ben Mendelsohn), but whatever.
    4. John Bradley
    Loved both his election speech and the take down of Slynt. Overall a very good performance and a good amount of screen time, I’m just not that into his love story with Gilly I guess.
    5. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau
    Nothing wrong here acting-wise, a solid performance, a couple of funny scenes and a great last scene with Myrcella. He just got sucked into the Dorne hole along with almost everyone else (except maybe Jerome Flynn).

  149. I was very torn between Maisie, Sophie, but Lena has to win this year 🙂
    For Actors obviously mt heart belongs to Nikolaj but I had to go with Stephen Dillane for his brilliant S5. RIP King Stephen.

  150. Lena and Stephen, of course!

    Dillane’s Stannis deserves all the praise we can collectively heap upon him, and then some.

  151. Kit hands down ( Hardholme everyone) female tougher but I went for Sophie she had an action packed season

  152. Each category a choice of two for me. Much as I really love the ever improving Maisie’s work and her total commitment to the role – and a lot more subtlety when required this season in the many quieter scenes (without having a strong lead opposite like Rory McCann/Charles Dance/Sean Bean); for me Lena has just shaded her for my pick this year. The scenes with the High Sparrow and Olenna where she shows Cersei as not being anywhere near as smart as she thinks she is were standouts plus of course her part in “The Walk of Shame”.

    Very impressed again with Stephen Dillane who has added so much onscreen depth to a non POV book Stannis while being very subtle and understated, but Peter Dinklage still manages to own every scene he is in, even if this year the material wasn’t as strong as it has been in earlier seasons.

    A shout out to the rest of the nominees who have been excellent too in Season 5.

  154. Let’s face it, Glen destroyed every other male actor this season. So did Lena. I’m shocked that so many people prefer Dillane over Glen. Though it was the strongest year for both men and Dillane was top 3 actor, Glen blow them all out of the water.

  156. Kaka,

    It isn’t that people prefer Dillane to Glen, necessarily. Jorah isn’t even featured in this vote; he’s considered a supporting actor, and that’s where you will be able to vote for him. I may, too.

  160. Stephen Dillane was BY FAR THE BEST MALE ACTOR ON THIS SHOW anyone who doesn’t vote for him is WRONG and should FEEL BAD

  161. Best Actor was fairly easy: Stannis. He just got more to do. Tyrion was great this season he just had so much more in Season 4.

    I look for “range” in performance and yes overacting can be a problem but it’s hard to play emotional.

    Best Actress was a bit tougher: Brienne’s one scene talking about Renly was brilliant…but it was only one scene.

    Daenerys was pleasant but was wearing the queenly mask so often that she didn’t get to emote (she was good, just not standout).

    Arya great in the non-verbal Needle scene.

    Sansa actress is great but painfully underused (locked in a room for the second half of the season?)

    So ultimately Cersei just had the most range and most impressive stuff to do, as Lena nailed Cersei’s mental deterioration and desperation from AFFC/ADWD.

  163. I agree with what some of you guys already said.

    Kit’s performance this season was great, his story was big and Kit really needed to deliver. And he did. He’s still not the best actor although he did improve most out of the cast. But my vote went to Stephen, what a BRILLIANT actor! Not only did he deliver the lines with perfection, his facial expressions and eyes nails the character and conveys emotions like no one else!

    I’d had to give the Best Actress-vote to Sophie. Maybe not the strongest written storyline, but Sophie really deliver quality acting. Lena is a close runner up as one of my favorite scenes this season is the one between Olenna and Cersei – great chemistry!

  164. To me Lena wins this without a doubt, seeing some comments I wonder whether some people here vote for the character they like best or the best actress. Well, everyone has a right to their own opinions..

    And for the best actor I really can’t decide between Dinklage and Dillane.

  166. Kit Harrington and Sophie Turner – hands down. While I do think Lena Headey gave a spectacular performance, Sophie Turner deserves the win. She has transformed Sansa from that whiny, idealistic classist from season 1 into someone who endures not only to survive but to thrive. She has faced trauma nearing Theon/Reek – used as a pawn, beaten, raped, been offered false hope time after time and Turner rocks it. Excited to see where her next road takes her, since it’s so different from the books.

  171. Sarella Sand,

    This, sophie’s always great and she’s just 19 god i can’t describe how much i love her.
    And about sansa all i can say is that the conclusion for her storyline from season 5 is going to be fantastic in terms of storytelling in upcoming season and perhaps the season after that.

  172. Also go for Lena and Stephen.

    I think Stephen always conveyed this dark, severe, and calculating, yet maniac and insane aura. But in this season, I think, he was brilliant: first make the audience actually ‘like’ Stannis to make us believe that he would never abandon his only child and successor and then surprise us with his decision to sacrifice her anyway as his ambition and his thrive on power were too strong. Just very well put across!

  173. flora:
    Maisie is overrated

    You and others can keep saying that but personal opinion isn’t always correct, and also at times appears to be tainted with some bias. Maisie has earned several nominations and wins for various awards for her work on the show because she’s very good. She has excellent facial and eye expression and delivers lines in proper tone, rarely if ever wooden. She’s been doing that from episode one as she’s displayed about every emotion there is from giddy to rage.

  176. I love Arya and Maisie almost as much as I love Tyrion and Peter. I have never cared for Sansa (although I deeply pity her, both for her lack of wisdom in the beginning and for her cruel fate), but I admire Sophie. I’m Jon’s supporter and Kit has gradually won my admiration. I consider Jaime a complex character, whom I hated while reading AGOT and watching the first season, but he (and Nikolaj) made me fear for his life later. Brienne is also one of my favourite characters and I like Gwendoline a lot.
    But I voted for Lena and Stephen, the actors who made such a good job in giving life to characters I hate. It was their art which made me hate their characters even more!

  179. Stephen Dillane – actually that was an easy one. Lots of range and most likely his last season with us. Shakespearean tragedy in a fantasy drama. Yo!!!

    Christie over Headey – was not an easy decision. Brienne is such a unique and self-aware character. Headey will get to take Cersei on a whole different trip, I suspect, in the next season or two. For now, its Christie especially when I see her as Brienne and then see what she looks like as the model and fashion icon. There was a time when a “model” would never get any respect if she moved into acting. Like Lauren Bacall, Christie has changed that game. Just think: Style and Substance. Amazing!!!!

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