It’s been five years sinceEmilia Clarkeportrayed Daenerys Targaryen on the HBO smash hitGame of Thrones, and though it may have been hard to appreciate how special the series was while she was in the thick of things, the 37-year-old actress is now ableto look back on the show and see what it meant to the world. Clarke was just 24 when she portrayed the Mother of Dragons onGame of Thronesfor the first time in 2011, and she’d go on to be nominated for numerous awards, including four Emmys. Since that time, Clarkehas continued her successful career, even starting her own production company, Magical Thinking Pictures.
Speaking withPeople, Emilia Clarke took time to reflect onGame of Thrones, telling the outlet that it “means the world” that even after all these years, fans are still attached to the characters. She says that at the time the show was going on, she wasn’t ableto fully realize what she was taking part in, but now that it’s been five years,she’s able to “quantify” her experience. Check out her comments below.
“The more distance I have from Game of Thrones,the more I can quantify it. When I started, you don’t know what you’re doing, you don’t know what you’re surrounded by andyou don’t know what you’re taking part in.”
Game Of Thrones
The Breaker of Chains would go on to say that as more time passes, the more she’s able to fully realize just how rare not only the success ofGame of Throneswas, but the bond between actors that was formed during filming.She calls the whole experience “incredibly rare.”
“Now, as more and more time goes between it and me doing it, the more I’m like, that was incredibly special and that was incredibly rare.”
Emilia Clarke Calls Game of Thrones “Lightning in a Bottle”
First debuting on HBO in 2011,Game of Throneswas based on the popular novel series ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ by author George R.R. Martin. Though fans may have soured on the series in later seasons,and still debate its ending to this day, there’s no denyingthe impact the show had on popular culture. Each week, audiences gathered around their televisions for a healthy dose of political intrigue, backstabbing, three-dimensional characters, and, of course, dragons. Fanswould take to the internet the following morningto pick apart every little detail of the series and speculate on what was to come, making fora rabid fandom that remains loyal even now, five years later.
For Clarke, who has since started her own production company, Magical Thinking Pictures, she says she now not only understands the behind-the-scenes aspect of the series,but also realizes how “the sausage is made.”She says that at times it can be “quite frustrating,” but that it’s also made her realize just how much everyone involved inGame of Throneswasable to capture “lightning in a bottle.”
“Oh my God, I reallyunderstand how the sausage is made now… It makes me see even morejust how lightning in a bottle that [Game of Thrones] wasand how fortunate I was to have that as part of my experience as an actor. I was just incredibly, incredibly lucky to have had that experience, 100 percent.”
Game of Thrones: Daenerys Targaryen’s 10 Best Quotes, Ranked
The Mother of Dragons was one of the best characters in Game of Thrones. Here are Daenerys Targaryen’s best quotes from the hit TV show.
You can currently catch Emilia Clarke in the 2023 film,The Pod Generation, and the 2023 MCU series,Secret Invasion. She’llappear next in the 2025 animated comedy film,The Twits, based on the 1980 novel by Roald Dahl.
Game of Thronesand its prequel,House of the Dragon, are both available to stream on Max.
House of the Dragon
Taking place about 172 years before the events ofGame of Thrones,House of the Dragontells the tale of the rise of the Targaryens, the only family of dragonlords to survive the Doom of Valyria. The popular HBO spinoff show first starred Milly Alcock and Emily Carey as Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower before they were replaced by Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke, who play the older versions of the characters. Also starring in the series is Matt Smith (Prince Daemon Targaryen) and Paddy Considine as Rhaenyra’s father, King Viserys Targaryen.
