'Game of Thrones': 10 things you didn't know

The first episode of fifth season of Game of Thrones recorded 1.4 million more same-day viewers from its year-ago haul, stated Hollywoodreporter.com. The series returned to a new high on Sunday night (April 12, 2015), averaging a little less than 8 million viewers, the report further stated. This number is 1.4 million more than its 2014 premiere and 800000 more than its previously most-watched episode to date, which aired on May 18, 2014. However, the complete details on Game of Thrones premiere ratings will come in three weeks, the report concluded.

Read further and find out 10 things you probably didn't know about Game of Thrones ...

The horse heart eaten by Khaleesi was actually seven pounds of a gummy bear-like mass. In one of the series' most unforgettable scenes, a pregnant Daenerys consumes a raw horse heart to prove herself to the Dothraki people. Emilia said in an interview, "That was one of those amazing scenes you get as an actor that there’s just no acting required at all. It was disgusting! They promised me that it would taste similar to a gummy bear and it definitely did not." Apparently, reports suggested that it tasted like bleach. She describes it as being similar to congealed jam with fake blood-sugar and dried pasta - for added texture. Yuck or yum, you decide!

Jack Gleeson, who plays the cruel King Joffrey, may never act again! He had announced that he plans to give up acting after Game of Thrones wraps up because he doesn't enjoy it as much as he used to. He also wanted to make way for other pursuits, including humanitarianism. He even traveled to Haiti to help the poor. Gleeson had said in an interview, "I started acting when I was eight, and really, really loved it. But I think when it became less of a recreation and more of a profession, it kind of put more pressure on the acting itself and made it a tiny bit less enjoyable." He also plans to continue writing and performing with his own theatre group, Dublin-based Collapsing Horse Theatre Company.

We have all seen Harry Lloyd who plays Viserys Targaryen in the series. His greed and ambition and lust for the crown got a well deserved end. But little did we know that the loathsome Harry Lloyd is actually renowned writer Charles Dickens' great-great-great-grandson. According to media reports, Lloyd also wrote his thesis at Oxford University on his very famous relative. Another popular character is that of Theon Greyjoy. Very few people know that Alfie Allen who plays Theon Greyjoy is actually the little brother of singer Lily Allen. She even wrote a somewhat uncomfortable song about him - it’s titled 'Alfie'!

Series author George RR Martin reported on his blog that after the filming of the episode, in which Sansa's dire wolf Lady is executed, the dog that played Lady, a Northern Inuit named Zunni, was adopted by Sophie Turner, the actress who plays Sansa. Sophie Turner, who plays Sansa Stark, brought Lady home after King Joffrey had her dire wolf unnecessarily killed in the series. "Growing up I always wanted a dog, but my parents never wanted one," she told English newspaper Coventry Telegraph. "We kind of fell in love with my character’s dire wolf, Lady, on set." She renamed the Northern Inuit dog Zunni.

George RR Martin had stated in an interview that the infamous 'Red Wedding' was the hardest chapter for him to write in 'A Storm of Swords'. He was so emotionally attached to the characters that he actually wrote the rest of the book first, and then that chapter. David Benioff and DB Weiss, upon reading it, declared it was one of the major reasons they decided to choose the books for a television series. Their dramatization differs from the book in a few details. Most notably, Robb's wife is not present at the wedding, nor is she pregnant!

"The night is dark and full of terrors... but the fire burns them all away," Carice van Houten is as convincing as is humanly possible, as the mysterious Melisandre. Carice, who plays the Red Woman with ease, was previously asked to audition for a different role when season one was shot. However, schedule conflicts prevented her from auditioning for that part. She was asked to come back to audition during the shooting of season two, and was then cast as Melisandre.

We bet you didn't know about the common things between fantasy series Harry Potter and Game of Thrones. The Game of Thrones series features nine actors from the Harry Potter film series: Bronson Webb (Will) played unnamed Slytherin student in the third film; Natalia Tena (Osha) played Nymphadora Tonks; David Bradley (Lord Walder Frey) played Argus Filch; Julian Glover (Grand Maester Pycelle) voiced Aragog; Michelle Fairley (Catelyn Stark) played Mrs Granger in the seventh film; Ciarán Hinds (Mance Rayder) played Aberforth Dumbledore; Ralph Ineson (Dagmer Cleftjaw) played Amycus Carrow; Edward Tudor-Pole (Protestor at King's Landing) played Mr. Borgin and Ian Whyte (Gregor Clegane) played Madame Maxime in full-body shots. Cast member Stephen Dillane (Stannis Baratheon) is also the father of Frank Dillane, who played the young Voldemort/Tom Riddle in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009). Potter cast members Jamie Campbell Bower (young Gellert Grindelwald) and Simon Fisher-Becker (Fat Friar) were originally set to play Waymar Royce and the High Septon before being replaced by Rob Ostlere and David Verrey, respectively.

Some interesting trivia comes from the land of Dothraki. Emilia Clarke, who plays Daenerys Targaryen, usually has a lot of scenes that used fake blood. Although most of the characters of the popular show prefer fighting it out and settling their issues, an incident with Emilia Clarke was particularly funny. According to reports, Emilia was doused in so much fake blood during one scene that she got stuck to a toilet seat during a break!

Daenerys Targaryen, also known as Khaleesi, is undoubtedly one of the most popular characters of the series. The 'Mother of Dragons' became so popular as Khaleesi that in the year 2012, over 160 baby girls in US were legally named 'Khaleesi'. Emilia Clarke plays Daenerys in the show and has become as popular as her character. However, Emilia, who sports long silver locks in the show, is actually a brunette in real life! She had stated that she has never dyed her hair for the show. Her impressive blonde locks come from an elaborate wig and make-up system that takes considerable time.

Jack Gleeson, who plays the evil Joffrey Baratheon, is evil to the core as he perfectly plays his devilish character. While we love to hate Prince Joffrey, Jack Gleeson found an admirer in the writer of the books, George RR Martin. Jack once received a letter from George RR Martin after the the show aired, "Congratulations, everyone hates you!" After receiving this kind of praise by an author who created this character, Jack Gleeson would definitely be over the moon.