Emilia Clarke opened up about her own feelings towards the Game of Thrones series finale and the fan backlash that followed.
Last year, HBO’s Game of Thrones concluded with a shortened eighth season and while the series had once received acclaimed from critics and viewers alike, the later seasons were more maligned. The final season, in particular, was widely criticized for condensing far too much story in a short span of time and consequently resulted in characters making decisions most felt were nonsensical or unearned.
During an interview with The Sunday Times, Emilia Clarke, who portrayed Daenerys Targaryen, reflected on her own thoughts towards the finale. While Emilia Clarke noted that she tried not to think about how fans would react to the Game of Thrones finale, she found this to be a difficult task:
“I knew how I felt when I first read it. And I tried, at every turn, not to consider too much what other people might say, but I did always consider what the fans might think — because we did it for them, and they were the ones who made us successful, so … it’s just polite, isn’t it?”
One of the more common criticisms towards the final season of Game of Thrones was directed towards Daenerys Targaryen’s descent into becoming the “Mad Queen,” which many viewers felt was not given the adequate screen time to justify the character’s horrific actions. Emilia Clarke acknowledged that she “felt” for the character and was actually annoyed that Kit Harington’s Jon Snow, who murdered Daenerys after she slaughtered nearly everyone in King’s Landing, received no punishment for his actions:
“Yeah, I felt for her. I really felt for her. And yeah, was I annoyed that Jon Snow didn’t have to deal with something? He got away with murder — literally.”
Emilia Clarke also acknowledged that the series could have gone on a little longer to give the story proper time to develop towards a conclusion as opposed to focusing on set pieces:
“We could have spun it out for a little longer. It was all about the set pieces. I think the sensational nature of the show was, possibly, given a huge amount of airtime because that’s what makes sense.”
What do you think of Emilia Clarke’s comments? Do you agree? Let us know in the comments section below!
In October, HBO officially announced Game of Thrones prequel from George R. R. Martin and Ryan Condal titled House of the Dragon. Centered on the downfall of House Targaryen, the prequel is set 300 years before the events of Game of Thrones.
Another Game of Thrones prequel set roughly 5,000 years before the events of George R. R. Martin’s original story was initially planned before HBO scrapped the project. Directed and executive produced by S. J. Clarkson, the pilot featured an ensemble cast that included Naomi Watts, Josh Whitehouse, Toby Regbo, Ivanno Jeremiah, Georgie Henley, Naomi Ackie, Denise Gough, Jamie Campbell Bower, Sheila Atim, Alex Sharp, Miranda Richardson, Marquis Rodriguez, John Simm, Richard McCabe, John Heffernan, and Dixie Egerickx.
Stay tuned to Heroic Hollywood for the latest news on the George R. R. Martin’s Game of Thrones franchise as it develops!
Source: The Sunday Times
