Hempstead Wright's big break was as Bran Stark in the hit television series Game of Thrones, which premiered in April 2011. He was part of the initial starring cast and remained a member of the starring cast for the second, third, and fourth seasons, which earned him two Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations as Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in Drama Series at the 18th and 20th Screen Actors Guild Awards. He did not appear in Season 5, but returned as part of the main cast in season 6. The eighth and final season of the show premiered in April 2019 with Hempstead Wright in a starring role, making him one of a handful of Game of Thrones actors who have remained on the show over its nine years of production.
Hempstead Wright's film debut was as Tom Hill in the horror film The Awakening, which premiered in September 2011. Hempstead Wright also had a supporting role in the 2013 crime thriller Closed Circuit. Hempstead Wright also voice acted in the 2014 animated fantasy-comedy film,The Boxtrolls, a 2014 episode of the American show Family Guy, and the 2016 TV special Revolting Rhymes (Part Two).