Emilia Clarke: Daenerys “transforms into a different person” each season

Everyone is still talking about Daenerys Targaryen’s stunning heel turn in the latest episode of Game of Thrones, but the woman herself — Emilia Clarke — has stayed largely mum. She has been talking about her Game of Thrones journey in general, though, a journey that officially ends this Sunday in the series finale.

“It’s like a bereavement, because it’s 10 years of my life, and the relationships I’ve made on that show, I’ll know them forever,” she told Deadline. “I was just happy to be employed when I got this job…[I] didn’t even know what IMDb was…It’s been such an incredible journey to be with [Daenerys] as she starts off so timid, naive, scared, vulnerable, all the things I was, actually.

"And each season she transforms into a different person, and each season she grows and summons strength that is beyond my own but has brought about a kind of resilience within myself…When you’ve stood on top of a mountain speaking to 700 extras — supporting artists, sorry — in a different language, you’ve gotta grow some balls as an actor, cause they’re there!…You have to bring it. So there’s a lot of different moments that I have lived through with her that have given me a bit of confidence in being able to play her."

And let’s remind everyone, at times during the show — particularly during season 2 — Clarke was acting up a storm even though she was on the mend from multiple brain surgeries. Clarke credits Daenerys with “saving” her during that difficult period, because it gave her a goal and something to do. Her trails also helped her play the character:

"What it did do was give me…things to relate to for Daenerys when she’s at her breaking points, when she’s under stress and strain. If I hadn’t experienced those health scares, I’m not sure I would have been able to see what that was. It gave me a huge amount for her."

Daenerys has certainly been under stress and strain lately, and whatever you want to say about the character’s turn to the dark side, Clarke has been doing her damndest to sell it.

Clarke also talked to (and modeled for) Flaunt, where she explained how she’s lobbied for her character over the years.

"Throughout the show I’ve always fought for a sensitivity in her, which they’ve written in. I was like, ‘This is great that she’s getting stronger, but you have to know why. You have to know how much it is costing her.’ I’ve always tried to show that it costs [to get stronger], and it’s not easy. I think that’s as much talking about myself. There’s collateral there."

Indeed, Clarke sees many similarities between herself and her character…although you have imagine that doesn’t extent to wanting to set a city on fire. “[T]here have been so many parallels in our lives that I have drawn upon, so each season has been so much me, and so much her,” Clarke said. “I doubt I’ll ever be able to see her objectively.”

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People will undoubtedly remember Clarke’s work as Daenerys, but she doesn’t seem the type to rest on her laurels. “I’m an achievement junkie,” she said. “I’ve got my goals, and I go get them. Turning over a new leaf for me is like, ‘Yeah, let’s do another thing, let’s change!'”

At the moment, Clarke has a number of projects in production, including the lead role in the romantic comedy Last Christmas. She has her own production company in Los Angeles, launched her own charity, SameYou, and is continuing to work as an ambassador for the U.K.’s UK’s Royal College of Nursing. Whatever she does, we’ll definitely be hearing about her for a long time to come.

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