4) NATHALIE EMMANUEL
As the resilient and ever-loyal Missandei, actress Nathalie Emmanuel has won the hearts of both Grey Worm and all Game of Thrones fans. The British-born Emmanuel’s father is of English and St. Lucian descent, and her mother is from the Dominican Republic.
Emmanuel’s Game of Thrones exposure has landed her roles in big movies like Furious 7 (2015, pictured below), Maze Runner: Scorch Trials (2015), The Fate of the Furious (2017) and Maze Runner: The Death Cure (2018).
Encouraged by her mother, Emmanuel landed her first role at age 10, as Young Nala in a stage production of The Lion King in London’s West End. Opportunities in TV came knocking, and she snagged roles on series like Hollyoaks (2007-2010, photo below) Hollyoaks Later (2008), Casualty (2011) and Misfits (2011).
Emmanuel says she’s been to so many auditions that “they’ve all blurred into one.” She recounted her worst experience in an interview with Backstage: “Sometimes nerves can get the better of me. I had one where I was so nervous that I walked out the room and vomited in the bathroom afterward. I’ve gotten better at dealing with them.”
As for how she feels about the end of Game of Thrones, Emmanuel sounded off in an interview with RAW:
"Oh my goodness, it’s going to be so good. We really could feel the magnitude of what we were shooting. You just feel the weight of all the seasons being carried with us too. And the implications of certain characters feeling the same space for the first time. Everyone is so good. I’m going to be sad when it’s done."
Thrones may be ending, but we’ll be able to see Emmanuel’s work for years to come. She’s currently appearing in The Titan with Sam Worthington and has a part in the upcoming Holly Slept Over (2018).