Game of Thrones actress Nathalie Emmanuel looks back on the reaction to her character Missandei's tragic death. Emmanuel, who now plays a vital role in the Fast & Furious franchise, joined the HBO fantasy juggernaut in season 3, playing freed slave Missandei. For much of the show's run, she was one of the few genuinely goodhearted characters, and her romance with Unsullied leader Grey Worm (Jacob Anderson) was a fan favorite. Missandei was a loyal confidant for Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) until the end.
Even now, two years after Game of Thrones came to an end with season 8, the series still sparks conversation over the divisive way it concluded. Already operating on a shortened timeline with just six episodes, Game of Thrones season 8 made several plot and character decisions that confounded fans, such as Daenerys' sudden swing towards Mad Queen status and having Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead Wright) become king of Westeros. Among the controversial moments was Missandei's death, which arrived in episode 4, "The Last of the Starks." Missandei was beheaded in front of Daenerys and Grey Worm in a heartbreaking scene that many felt was unnecessary and harmful, as she was one of the few characters of color on the show.
While sharing her beauty secrets with Vogue, Emmanuel looked back on Missandei's Game of Thrones end. As soon as she learned what was to happen, the actress admitted she knew how people would respond. "When I learned that Missandei was going to die, I knew that, as the only woman of color on the show, I knew that people would feel her loss, like the loss of her, because she’s also just like a really kind, good character," Emmanuel said. At the same time, she didn't foresee "I guess, the size of the reaction that happened." The louder-than-expected reaction led to a deeper conversation, as Emmanuel said:
“I think that really sparked a conversation about, when we make these shows in the future, when we are casting these shows, like, do we just have to have the one person—is there space for more of us? And I think the answer is yes. And I know the answer is yes.”
Game of Thrones, for all the praise it received over the years, was always controversial for its handling of women and characters of color. Missandei's death appeared to encapsulate all of those issues at once, with the purpose of it being seemingly just to spur Daenerys (and, to a lesser extent, Grey Worm) on to destroy King's Landing. As many said at the time, Missandei deserved far better than she got, and it's clear Emmanuel realized this herself on some level.
And yet, as Emmanuel mentioned, it also led to a bigger conversation. There is still a lot of work to be done when it comes to positive representation in the media, and cultural moments like Missandei's death on Game of Thrones often bring these issues to the forefront of the conversation. In that sense, something positive might have come from Missandei's untimely end. Emmanuel has begun to carve out a space for herself in the genre world, with Fast & Furious and the upcoming Army of the Dead prequel Army of Thieves on Netflix. As she said above, there is a space for everyone in these worlds; they just need to be found.
Source: Vogue