Emilia Clarke rose to fame in her breakthrough role as Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones and went on to act in several major movies, but there are some other roles she almost played. Clarke landed the part in HBO's epic fantasy television series in 2010 after replacing actress Tamzin Merchant in the original pilot episode. The job was far from the "bonnet duty" that most young English actresses go through, as Clarke said herself in Vanity Fair. She ended up playing Daenerys throughout all eight seasons of the show, which wrapped in May 2019, and received critical acclaim for her portrayal of her character's development from a timid girl to a relentless ruler.

In addition to Game of Thrones, Clarke's career includes various theater and movie roles. She starred as Holly Golightly in the Broadway play Breakfast at Tiffany's in 2013 and Nina in a recent West End production of The Seagull before the pandemic put it on pause. Me Before You (2016) and Last Christmas (2019) featured the actress portraying quirky love interests and received mixed reviews, although both were successful at the box office. Clarke played Qi'ra in Solo: A Star Wars Story in 2018, beating out several others for the role. She recently joined the cast for Marvel's upcoming Secret Invasion streaming series on Disney+.

Related: Marvel Characters Emilia Clarke Could Be Playing In Secret Invasion

While Daenerys Targaryen will likely remain Clarke's most famous role, her film career nearly included some appearances in significant blockbusters. From personal preferences to filming conflicts, her reasons for passing on each part vary. Though her acting talents would have shone through in each performance, it's difficult to imagine anyone else as some of these characters.

Anastasia Steele - Fifty Shades of Grey

Anastasia Steele at work in Fifty Shades of Grey

Dakota Johnson played Anastasia Steele Grey in the Fifty Shades of Grey franchise, but the part almost went to Emilia Clarke. Clarke was offered the role in the first erotic thriller but turned it down because of the abundance of nude scenes, according to Hollywood Reporter. Having filmed several scenes for Game of Thrones in the nude, Clarke was tired of being asked about it and didn't want her career to be pigeonholed. She was also eager to avoid any films with sequels after dedicating so much time to playing Daenerys.

Sharon Carter (Agent 13) - Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Sharon Carter on the phone in Falcon and Winter Soldier

In Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Sharon Carter - aka Agent 13 - is the love interest of Chris Evans' Steve Rogers. Clarke actually tested for the role, along with actresses such as Jessica Brown Findlay of Downton Abbey (via Deadline). In the end, the part went to Emily VanCamp, and Clarke will be joining the Marvel cinematic universe in Secret Invasion.

The Enchantress - Suicide Squad

Cara Delevingne Enchantress Suicide Squad

According to IMDB, Clarke was also considered to play the Enchantress in Suicide Squad (2016). However, supermodel and actress Cara Delevingne landed the role, which ended up being a pretty significant one for the film. Unfortunately, backlash ensued for the film and for Delevingne's portrayal of the Enchantress when a behind-the-scenes visual effects clip revealed that the model was seemingly edited to appear slimmer (via The Wrap).

Harper Moore - Set It Up

Set It Up's Charlie and Harper

In 2016, it was announced that Clarke had joined the cast of Set It Up (2018), a romantic comedy originally acquired by MGM. Clarke was set to play overworked assistant Harper Moore, but the casting process for the role of her boss took longer than expected, forcing Clarke to drop out due to filming conflicts with Game of Thrones (via Bustle). Zoey Deutch later replaced Emilia Clarke, and the film ended up finding a new home with Netflix.

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