Missandei of Naath died in “The Last of the Starks,” the fourth episode of Game of Thrones season 8, executed by Cersei Lannister at the gates of King’s Landing. Her last moments touched a nerve with many fans, particularly given that actor Nathalie Emmanuel is the only prominent women of color on the series. The fact that Missandei died in chains, reminding us of how she was a slave when Daenerys first met her, didn’t help matters. This is a touchy subject.
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Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Emmanuel assured fans that she while she never thought Missandei was out of danger, this being a show where characters died all the time, she was “fully aware and engaged in the conversation of representation because I am the only woman of color in this show that has been on there regularly for many seasons and Jacob and I are fully engaged in that conversation constantly and throughout our whole time together.”
It’s almost impossible to disentangle the way Missandei died with events that have happened in our world. Emmanuel touched on that:
"I think the fact that she died in chains when she was a slave her whole life, that for me was a pungent cut for that character, that felt so painful but like I said, it’s the reality of the world. It’s kind of makes sense in a social sense, a world sense in that we’re out of chains but sometimes the world makes us feel like we’re not, and that is for me, even playing it when I had the shackles on, it made me quite emotional, it’s hard. Just on an emotional level, I just really felt the impact of that."
Couldn’t have said that better ourselves.
Emmanuel understands the fan outrage, because she knows what Missandei and Grey Worm mean to many fans. “It’s safe to say that Game of Thrones has been under criticism for their lack of representation,” she said, “and the truth of it is that Missandei and Grey Worm have represented so many people because there’s only two of them.”
"So this is a conversation going forward about when you’re casting shows like this, that you are inclusive in your casting. I knew what it meant that she was there, I know what it means that I am existing in the spaces that I am because when I was growing up, I didn’t see people like me but it wasn’t until she was gone that I really felt what it really, truly meant until I saw the outcry and outpouring of love and outrage and upset about it, I really understood what it meant."
Through it all, Emmanuel admires Missandei’s strength and bravery in the face of death, although she wishes she could have had a couple more moments with Daenerys before the end. “I think that might have eased the pain a bit more for people, and reinforcing a friendship that she and Dany had because we haven’t really seen anything for a few seasons but I think she’s so fiercely loyal to Dany and I think she was until the bitter end, and it’s almost fitting for Missandei really, in a way.”
R.I.P. Missandei. we’ll be pouring one out for you on the beaches of Naath.
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