Gemma Elizabeth Whelan (born 22 April 1981) is a British actress and comedian who has appeared in films such as Gulliver's Travels and The Wolfman. In 2010 she won the Funny Women Variety Act at the Leicester Square Theatre for her character of Chastity Butterworth. On Game of Thrones Whelan is playing the role of Yara Greyjoy, renamed from Asha Greyjoy in the books. Rumors of her casting leaked on 7 July 2011 but were not officially confirmed by HBO until 2 August 2011. She joined the cast as a guest star in the second season and returned for the third, fourth and sixth seasons.