Emilia Clarke said she fought against 'Game of Thrones' producers making Daenerys 'cold and expressionless'
- In James Hibberd's book "Fire Cannot Kill a Dragon," Emilia Clarke said that she "fought back" against "Game of Thrones" producers turning Daenerys into a "cold expressionless" character
- Clarke said: "I get that she has to be steely and unforgiving and a powerful force. But in this moment she's also a goddam human being."
- Clarke previously told Entertainment Weekly that the events of the final season made her "look back at all the notes I've ever had."
Emilia Clarke said she "fought back" a number of times against "Game of Thrones" producers who she believed were making Daenerys too "cold and expressionless."
Clarke's comments come from James Hibberd's behind-the-scenes "Game of Thrones" book "Fire Cannot Kill a Dragon," which includes a number of interviews with cast and crew members.
In an excerpt seen by WinterIsComing.net, Clarke said: "There was a number of times I was like, 'Why are you giving me that note?' While I am quite consistently a 'How can I help?' kind of person, there were a few moments where I was like, 'Don't tell me what to do with my girl. I know what to do!'"
The Emmy-nominated actress said she became concerned about the way Daenerys was being portrayed in the show, which became much more emotionless in her descent into madness in the final season.
"It's like Daenerys's calling card became cold expressionlessness. I always wanted to infuse that with some humanity because no one's consistently like that," Clarke said.
"I would sometimes fight back a little: 'I get that she has to be steely and unforgiving and a powerful force. But in this moment she's also a goddam human being. So I'm going to give you that and I really pray that you take that in the edit.'"
Clarke's comments are particularly interesting because of how Daenerys' character ended up in the show. Astride her last remaining dragon, Drogon, Daenerys burned huge parts of King's Landing down to the ground, killing thousands of innocent civilians as a result.
Many fans hated this plot decision, arguing that it went entirely against Daenerys' character as someone who has always been a champion and protector of the innocent rather than a murderer of them.
Author George RR Martin told Benioff and Weiss how his series was going to end years before the final season, despite not having finished the books himself. Benioff and Weiss kept this information to themselves and instead decided to drip-feed clues to the cast as they transitioned to the events of season eight, including the "Mad Queen" storyline of Daenerys.
In an interview with Hibberd for Entertainment Weekly shortly after the final season finished airing, Clarke said that the events of the final season made her reexamine the acting notes she was given by producers: "This has made me look back at all the notes I've ever had."
Read more: