Emilia Clarke fought back against the producers of Game of Thrones when they tried to make her character Daenerys Targaryen too cold and expressionless. Despite actress Tamzin Merchant playing Daenerys in the poorly-conceived original pilot, Clarke took over for the reshot pilot and the series itself. It wasn't long before Daenerys became a fan favorite character, with many rooting for her as she transformed from an exiled survivor to a fierce queen. Clarke was nominated for four Emmys while playing Daenerys over Game of Thrones' eight-season run, which concluded just last year.
Daenerys was the focal point of many controversial moments within Game of Thrones, from her rather degrading season 1 beginnings to her entire season 8 storyline. Fans were shocked when, in the final episodes of the HBO series, Daenerys descended into madness and became the villain of the story. The second to last episode, "The Bells," saw Dany burn down King's Landing with her last remaining dragon, a move that was highly polarizing among fans. Even now, well over a year since Game of Thrones ended, viewers are still debating whether it was a satisfying ending for her.
Thanks to James Hibbard's new novel Fire Cannot Kill a Dragon: Game of Thrones and the Official Untold Story of the Epic Series, several interesting tidbits about the behind the scenes workings of the iconic television series have emerged in recent weeks. The latest comes from an excerpt shared by WinterIsComing.net and explores how Clarke would push back against producers David Benioff and D.B. Weiss when they attempted to make Daenerys a cold character. Clarke explained:
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!” 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. 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.”
No one is more protective of Daenerys than Clarke, and that's become even clearer in the months since Game of Thrones' finale. Clarke has spoken about her complicated feelings regarding Daenerys' Mad Queen ending, which largely seem to echo what fans have felt. For many, Daenerys was a source of hope and inspiration, and the Mad Queen twist was a disservice to that.
It sounds like Benioff and Weiss attempted to set the stage for Daenerys' turn towards becoming an unfeeling figure, but Clarke wasn't buying it. One of the criticisms lobbed at Daenerys' final Game of Thrones arc was that it came about much too quickly. One could argue Benioff and Weiss tried to ease Daenerys into it sooner, but Clarke stood in the way. On the other hand, Clarke knows Daenerys quite well, having had to play her for eight seasons. If anyone would know how she should act, it would be Clarke. It makes sense for her to fight back against what she perceives to be wrong. Now that Game of Thrones is definitely over, it's up to the fans to decide what was successful and what was not. One thing is certain though: Clarke was the right choice to play Daenerys.
Source: WinterIsComing.net