Lyanna Mormont Was Originally Only Supposed to Have One Scene in 'Game of Thrones'

With as massive a show as Game of Thrones is, there’s no doubt that things don’t always go according to plan. The series has a huge cast of great actors that come and go—some with minor roles and others winning battles and commanding dragons. But a few of the smaller characters have truly won over audiences, including Lyanna Mormont, played by Bella Ramsey. And as it turns out, she was only supposed to be in Thrones for one scene.

Ramsey was given the opportunity of a lifetime to play Lyanna, the young Lady of Bear Island, who is the first to nominate Jon Snow as King of the North. Her performance as the little spitfire in a room full of male leaders won over GoT showrunners, and ultimately led to her being chosen to become a recurring character.

When asked by Entertainment Weekly what creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss were looking forward to the most in the final season, Benioff chose to focus on the stars behind the beloved characters.

"Part of what excites me is the performance of these actors. So many of them have been with us since the beginning and they’ve grown — both literally for the kids, and as characters. In many cases, they’re going so far beyond what was expected for them," he explained. "Some, like Lyanna Mormont, were just supposed to be in one scene. Bella is such an incredible actress that we kept bringing her back because we wanted more Bella."

It’s really no surprise that Lyanna was chosen to return back to the show after her first scene, or the fact that she’s become a fan-favorite character. Game of Thrones has seen multiple up and coming actors really make a name for themselves over the years on the show, and we know Ramsey has a bright future ahead of herself because of it.

We’ll see Lyanna one last time, sadly, when Thrones returns for its final season on April 14.

This article also appears on Mental Floss.