‘Game of Thrones’ Wouldn’t Be the Same if They Kept This Actor From the Unaired Pilot

Once upon a time, a parallel universe existed in which Emilia Clarke didn’t portray the iconic Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones. Before Clarke signed on to take on the role of the Mother of Dragons, Tamzin Merchant was originally cast as Daenerys in an unaired pilot for the series.

Merchant had just wrapped up her role as Catherine Howard, King Henry VIII’s fifth wife, in The Tudors when the script for the original HBO series fell into her lap. She got the role and filmed the pilot episode, but the filming process confirmed that this role wasn’t one she wanted to pursue. After the pilot was filmed, Merchant asked the studio to be released from her contract, which they accommodated, given the fact that the studio wasn’t impressed by the unaired pilot.

Who Is Tamzin Merchant?

Merchant is best known for her role as Catherine Howard from The Tudors, Henry VIII’s (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) fifth wife. However, fans of the 2005 Pride and Prejudice adaptation will recognize her for her role as Georgiana Darcy, Mr. Darcy’s (Matthew Macfadyen) younger sister. Her most recent project was Amazon Prime’s Carnival Row, where she played Imogen Spurnrose, the woman living in the house where Vignette (Cara Delevingne) serves as the housemaid. She’s no stranger to portraying characters in period dramas and fantasy series, so it seemed fitting for her to don the platinum wig and take her rightful place on the Iron Throne.

After getting the role, Merchant and the rest of the cast and crew filmed the pilot before the studio decided to reshoot, and it was different from the pilot that Game of Thrones fans know now. The unaired pilot consisted of a few pivotal scenes, like Daenerys’ wedding to Khal Drogo (Jason Momoa) and their sex scene, which was more faithful to the scene in the novel than the scene in the show, which is considered to be a sexual assault by many viewers. Other aspects of the unreleased episode led the producers to start from scratch, but Merchant’s performance wasn’t one of them. Many thought her performance was terrific, but something was missing from the character. In the end, it came down to Merchant and Momoa’s lackluster chemistry as the deciding factor to scrap the pilot and move forward with recasting Daenerys.

While it’s been said the British actress did a wonderful job, it was the lack of chemistry with Jason Momoa that led to the recast. After her exit from the series and the studio’s decision to reboot it, the role was given to Clarke, whose performance as the Breaker of Chains gained critical acclaim and received four Emmy nominations. She brought the iconic character to life for eight seasons. After the character was recast, there wasn’t any bad blood between Merchant and Clarke, as Merchant saw it as a learning experience to trust her instincts. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, she said:

It was an affirmation about listening to my instincts and following them, because I tried to back out of that situation and, during the contract process, I did back out. I was talked back into it by some persuasive people. Then I found myself naked and afraid in Morocco and riding a horse that was clearly much more excited to be there than I was.

Merchant Learned to Trust Her Instincts

When she signed on to take on the role of Daenerys, something within the story and the character didn’t connect with Merchant. There were a couple of times that the actress attempted to back out of the project, but her team and other people around her convinced her to stay. During the interview with Entertainment Weekly, Merchant revealed that filming the horseback scene while naked was an eye-opening experience that confirmed she wasn’t meant to be portraying this character.

If my guts are telling me a story isn’t something I’m excited to tell, then I shouldn’t try to be excited just because other people are telling me that I should be excited.

She made a brave decision to step away from the project that no one knew would become one of the greatest TV shows of the 21st century. Her interview revelations show someone who is genuinely passionate about her craft and wants her performances to be as authentic as possible to do the role justice. She recognized she wasn’t made for the role and decided to forego whatever financial gain the role came with to make sure the character had the perfect actor portraying her.

In the same interview with Entertainment Weekly, Merchant was adamant to express that she didn’t hold any resentment towards Clarke and that she thought Clarke’s portrayal of Daeneyrs was as iconic and epic as fans of the show believe.

I think it’s a testament to Emilia Clarke for making that role iconic—she was obviously excited to tell that story, and she was epic and excellent.

Emilia Clarke Is Daenerys Targaryen

Emilia Clarke’s signing on to portray Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones was a true alignment of the stars and planets. She brought this character to life for eight seasons, and she did so with enthusiasm and genuine love for it. Every scene was a testament to her dedication to this role, even in the controversial Season 8 storyline. Her performance in the HBO series earned her four Emmy nominations and an army of fans who appreciated her portrayal of the character created by George R.R. Martin.