One of the most noticeable changes in Game of Thrones over the past few years is that of The Mountain. The intimidating Gregor Clegane, the brother of The Hound, was originally portrayed by stuntman Conan Stevens, who gave the star the dominant physical presence that was needed at the time.

Conan was cast in The Hobbit before he was really able to do very much with his role in Game of Thrones, and so Ian Whyte stood in for a number of scenes before the show was able to cast Icelandic Strongman Hafþór Júlíus “Thor” Björnsson in the role. Hafþór is the perfect fit for a man who is supposed to be a giant and looks the part in a way that Conan never did. It seems that Game of Thrones managed to spin this forced switch in their favour in the end, but it was obviously something that a number of hardcore Game of Thrones fans picked up on.