Emilia Clarke almost spilled the beans on Daenerys Targaryen’s devastating tragedy in an interview prior to the premiere of Game of Thrones Season 8’s ending.
Emilia Clarke had previously expressed mixed feelings about Daenerys Targaryen’s arc in the final season of Game of Thrones, and while her villain transformation became a massive concern for the actress, she was also disappointed with her character’s death.
There was nothing more upsetting than following the journey of the Mother of Dragons from being a fragile Targaryen bride to one of the most powerful figures in Westeros only to see her fail in claiming the Seven Kingdoms and subsequently meeting her demise in the end.
Emilia Clarke almost revealed Daenerys Targaryen’s fate prior to Season 8 ending
The cast members of Game of Thrones were on strict no-spoilers policy during their promotion of the final season. They were prohibited from going on social media for the risk of spilling some important details, and they were also cautious during interviews. In one instance, though, Emilia Clarke almost broke the rule and teased Daenerys’ tragic fate.
The Targaryen queen died after she was betrayed by Jon Snow, played by Kit Harington. The scene shocked a lot of viewers, with many hating how easily she went while others were unimpressed with the overall conclusion that Bran Stark became the king.
If fans had been paying attention on the cast’s interviews, they would have anticipated Daenerys’ failure after Clarke almost messed up her answer during her conversation with ET Online. The host asked, “Have you shot your final scenes yet, and are you happy with how things ended?”
Nathalie Emmanuel, who played Missandei, gracefully responded with a resounding “yes” despite knowing her character was decapitated by The Mountain. Meanwhile, Clarke immediately reacted with an uncomfortable smile, then later on said, “Best season ever!” with a sarcastic tone. From this clip alone, we already know that something bad happened to Daenerys, and it could only be two things: she lost the throne, or she died.
We can’t blame her, though, for her honest reaction. Even the actress was equally surprised after learning her beloved character failed to accomplish the goal she’d been working so hard for throughout eight seasons.
Emilia Clarke came to terms with Daenerys Targaryen’s tragic ending
Following the show’s conclusion and the backlash that ensued, Clarke finally came to grips with the death of Daenerys. She spoke with Entertainment Weekly and confessed that she left her house and took a long walk to let it all sink in. Even though she wasn’t exactly in favor of her character’s choices, she understood that Dany made her bed and she was finally lying in it.
The actress warned us all, but nothing could have prepared the viewers for that twist. Clarke only hoped that we’d be able to see the beauty and poetry in Dany’s tragic fate. In the end, she remained loyal to the Targaryen queen. “I stand by Daenerys. I stand by her!” said the actress.
