The ‘Game of Thrones‘ fans who still hope the cast might return to dragons and fantasy worlds someday, Emilia Clarke has some very clear news. She’s not leaving the door open either.
Clarke sounds just as ready to move on as her former co-star Kit Harington. While talking about her new project, Clarke openly admitted that her relationship with fantasy has changed since the show ended. And this isn’t at all about being tired of her older role at all.
Emilia Clarke Says She’s Done With Westeros, Just Like Kit Harington
While promoting her new Peacock series ‘Ponies’, Emilia Clarke told The New York Times that she’s essentially finished with the fantasy genre after eight years on ‘Game of Thrones‘. Her comments place her firmly alongside Kit Harington, who has also said he doesn’t plan to return to fantasy after playing Jon Snow.
Clarke didn’t soften her words. She said it’s highly unlikely she’ll ever get on a dragon, or even be in the same frame as one, again. Coming from the actor who played Daenerys Targaryen, that statement feels final rather than playful. The role brought Clarke worldwide recognition and four Emmy nominations. But it also tied her to an intense world that required constant emotional commitment, especially toward the end.
Related: Kit Harington Says “How Dare You?” Over Fan Petition To Remake ‘Game Of Thrones’ Season 8
The ‘Game of Thrones’ Ending That Made Walking Away Easier
A big part of Clarke’s decision connects directly to how ‘Game of Thrones‘ wrapped up. Daenerys’ sudden turn into the Mad Queen put Clarke at the center of the show’s most debated final storyline and ended with her character’s death in the series finale. She later admitted she never saw it coming.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Clarke said she was completely shocked when she read the final scripts. She described crying, leaving her house, and walking for hours just to process what she’d read. That reaction spilled into her personal life, too.
Clarke said she called her mother because the scripts deeply unsettled her. She even found herself asking her mom and brother whether they thought Daenerys was a good person. The questions that confused them showed how emotionally tied she still was to the character.
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In a 2020 interview with The Sunday Times, she said she was annoyed that the final season focused more on spectacle. Over time, though, she’s made peace with it. When The Hollywood Reporter asked whether she had accepted the show’s ending, Clarke said she truly had. However, it’s still hard for her to watch the series without remembering what was happening in her own life at the time.
Clarke said she gets why people were upset, but as an actor, she had to fully commit. After giving nearly a decade of her life to Daenerys, she couldn’t approach the role halfway. Anyhow, she had to show up and deliver. Like Harington, she seems grateful for ‘Game of Thrones‘ but very comfortable leaving dragons and fantasy worlds behind.
