Daenerys Targaryen, the Mother of Dragons, the Breaker of Chains, the Mad Queen, the names are many but there is only one actress who can fit the character of Daenerys Targaryen.
Emilia Clarke found worldwide fame and love for her portrayal of Daenerys Targaryen in the iconic 2011 series Game of Thrones. However, she wasn’t the first choice for the role of the Targaryen princess.
There Was Someone Before Emilia Clarke
When the casting of Game of Thrones started, there were several unknown actors who were given a chance. Stars like Kit Harrington, Sophie Turner, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, and, several others found worldwide fame with their portrayals.
Amidst the hundreds of cast members was Emilia Clarke who was just 24 years old and Game of Thrones was just her third professional acting role in her career.
Before she was finalized, the producers went ahead with English actress Tamzin Merchant and they even shot the pilot episode with her as Daenerys Targaryen.
Well, fans think that Tamzin Merchant looks too much like a Lannister character rather than the Mother of Dragons. Fans stated that they were happy the producers decided to go ahead with Emilia Clarke.
Portraying the character dutifully for almost a decade, Emilia Clarke gathered a fan following of millions with her iconic role of Daenerys Targaryen. Since she didn’t have much experience with fame, Clarke talked about what changed over the years.
Especially now that it has been 5 years since the controversial ending of Game of Thrones aired, Clarke has dived into other projects. It is when she is done with the series that she realizes how great her journey was.
Emilia Clarke Recalls Game of Thrones Fondly
Starring alongside Jason Momoa, Kit Harrington, Ian Glen, Peter Dinklage, Nathalie Emmanuel, and, several others, Emilia Clarke had a great time while filming Game of Thrones.
When the final episode was over, Daenerys Targaryen had a knife in her chest while Drogon burned the Iron Throne away. After the series was over, Clarke recently talked to People and talked about what changed over the years.
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 and you don’t know what you’re taking part in.
She further continued,
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.
The world will surely remember Clarke as the woman who was brave enough to take on such an iconic role in a series that became a global pop culture phenomenon.
With 8 seasons to its name, Game of Thrones received a rating of 9.2/10 on IMDB and a whopping 89% on Rotten Tomatoes. The iconic HBO show is available to stream on Max in the U.S.
