San Diego Comic-Con 2016 is several weeks gone by this point, but MovieFone has just posted an interview it did there with Nathalie Emmanuel, known to all and sundry as Missandei, Daenerys Targaryen’s right-hand woman on Game of Thrones.
It ends up that being Daenerys’ right-hand woman is a pretty nice gig, particularly when you get to spend so much time with Emilia Clarke. “Emilia is such a doll,” she said. “We get along so well.”
"I guess in our storyline, it’s mostly guys, and then it’s just us two. And it’s really, really nice to have that female companion and just like friend, and we can take time off set to sort of do girl time and go life download or whatever. So that’s really, really amazing to have."
Incidentally, the thing they must have most in common is a shared love of both love of both “Beyoncé and a good cup of tea.” That’s no better foundation for a friendship than that. I hope they have more time to go “life download” in the future.
And what’s in store for Missandei’s future? Emmanuel didn’t reveal anything specific, but did say that she’s up for doing action scenes and diving further into Missandei’s romance with Grey Worm. “I mean, playing some action would be really fun, just because it’s something outside of Missandei’s realm of what she’s done before,” she said. “War is coming, so maybe she’ll have to.”
"But the romantic side is just such a sweet thing and I love it. Their storyline is so, so, so endearing, and I always enjoy working with Jacob [Anderson] (Grey Worm). He’s just wonderful. So to maybe explore that some more would be really fun. It’s so nice to watch. Whenever I see our scenes together, or our little moments together, I’m always like, “yay.” It makes me really happy."
As for Conic-Con experiences that stood out to her, Emmanuel picked the moment when she appeared on a panel (Women Who Kick Ass) with Lucy Lawless, of Xena: Warrior Princess fame, and whom Emmanuel watched growing up. And then there was a selfie:
As for her legacy on the show, Emmanuel is happy to be both representing women and people of color with her role. “It’s a real interesting time we’re living in right now,” she said. “There’s definitely a movement, especially for women and with the most recent unrest with racial unrest and tensions. It’s really, I feel so proud to represent both of those demographics like in “Game of Thrones.””