For international audiences, Kekilli is — the witty, loyal, and ultimately tragic lover of Tyrion Lannister. In HBO’s Game of Thrones , she brought a rare groundedness to a world of dragons and deceit. Shae wasn’t just a “whore with a heart of gold”; she was sharp, ambitious, and wounded.

(2006) : She played Ruth Zilbermann, a Jewish woman being deported to a concentration camp. Home Coming

Playing Sibel Güner, a young woman seeking liberation through a marriage of convenience, Kekilli’s performance was hailed for its "fearless" intensity. The film won the Golden Bear