Game of Thrones’ Emilia Clarke Reveals She Had No Role in Shaping Daenerys’ Fate

by

Many viewers were unhappy with how Daenerys Targaryen’s story ended, and Emilia Clarke, the actress who played her, feels the same way. Clarke, who brought the iconic Mother of Dragons to life in the HBO series, has expressed a desire for a different conclusion to the character’s arc.

She didn’t have a say in the matter though, despite being “absolutely livid” about the outcome.

Emilia Clarke suggests Daenerys Targaryen’s ending could have been very different, and possibly not a death at all. Fans who supported Daenerys for eight seasons – even through incredibly difficult times that started with the abuse she suffered at the hands of her brother, who was obsessed with taking the Iron Throne – desperately wanted a different outcome.

Emilia Clarke: I Had No Say In Daenerys Targaryen Ending in Game of Thrones

Clarke recently explained the controversial decision to have Daenerys Targaryen become the ‘Mad Queen’ and why she wasn’t involved in shaping that storyline at all during the eight seasons of Game of Thrones, even though she didn’t agree with it.

She explained that beyond simply acting, she didn’t offer any creative suggestions and wasn’t interested in doing so. She received the storylines and focused on fully understanding the character’s motivations and decisions, making them feel authentic to her performance. She saw that as her primary role.

During the interview, she readily acknowledged that the show’s screenwriters, Daniel Brett Weiss and David Benioff, maintained strict control over the dialogue. They never allowed any improvisation and insisted actors deliver lines precisely as written. Even small deviations, like saying “it’s” instead of “it is,” would result in a request to redo the line perfectly.

Ultimately, it was quite a ride for Clarke, one full of highs and lows.

She discussed how recovering from two brain hemorrhages – one after the first season and another after the third of Game of Thrones – made it even harder to deliver the powerful performance needed for her character, Daenerys Targaryen. Then, she faced another difficulty…

Game of Thrones Was a Beautiful Trap for Emilia Clarke

Let me tell you, trying to recapture the magic of beloved franchises is hard. We saw that play out time and time again. Just look at films like 2015’s Terminator: Genisys, 2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story, and even recently, Marvel’s Secret Invasion. All three faced serious criticism, and unfortunately, that translated into disappointing results both in theaters and on streaming platforms. It’s a tough lesson: nostalgia only goes so far.

Currently, Clarke is starring in the Peacock spy thriller Ponies alongside Haley Lu Richardson (known from The White Lotus). She’s also joining the Marvel universe again with a role in Criminal, a crime thriller series for Prime Video that’s currently being filmed.

She described a long and winding journey to reach her current state of peace. “I used to feel stuck, both in the situation itself and its consequences,” she said. “Now, I just feel grateful it happened, and I’ve had the chance to fully understand it. I finally feel like I’ve moved past it.”

All eight seasons of Game of Thrones are currently streaming on HBO Max.

Read More

2026-05-30 18:46