As Game of Thrones continues to tell the story of Westeros through its spinoffs, original series star Emilia Clarke says she's done with not only the franchise but the fantasy genre as a whole. The Emmy Award-nominated actress played Daenerys Targaryen in the hit HBO series throughout all eight seasons. After the finale aired, she appeared in many other big-name projects, exploring other genres from sci-fi to rom coms.
In an interview with The New York Times, Clarke says that she's done with the genre and that she will not be "in the same frame as a dragon" ever again. Daenerys Targaryen was Clarke's third professional role when she began her career in 2009, and she was praised for her performance, earning numerous accolades. But as she continues to get recognition for her Game of Thrones role, Clarke wishes people would see her more than just Daenerys Targaryen.
"You're highly unlikely to see me get on a dragon, or even in the same frame as a dragon, ever again."Emilia Clarke
Emilia Clarke was "so hurt" by Game of Thrones' linguist saying she "sucked at Dothraki"
Recently, Clarke has addressed one of the criticisms she faced during her time at Game of Thrones. The actress appeared on Late Night With Seth Meyers, where she talked about learning Dothraki, one of the fictional languages in the show, and how she tends to enter projects where she has to learn languages other than English, whether they be fictional or real. The actress revealed that despite "putting so much energy" into learning the Dothraki, she felt "hurt" and "really pissed" when she read an article from the creator of the language, David J. Peterson, saying that she "sucked" at it.
"I put so much energy into learning Dothraki... But the creator of the language, I read in an article, said that I sucked at Dothraki," Clarke recalled. "I was like, ‘What! Bro, it’s not real! It’s not a real language! I can’t suck at it because me saying it on the TV, that’s how it goes'… Honestly, I was so hurt. And then really pissed."
Where else did Emlia Clarke star in?
Following her tenure in Game of Thrones, Clarke has appeared in other huge franchises. She had a main role in the 2023 Marvel series Secret Invasion as G'iah; she played Qi'ra in Solo: A Star Wars Story and Sarah Connor in 2015's Terminator Genisys. She was also involved in other projects, including Futurama, Thunderbirds Are Go, and Last Christmas. Clarke's next projects are the Ponies, a spy thriller set to debut on Peacock on January 15, 2026, and Criminal, a crime drama set to debut on Prime Video at a later date.
Game of Thrones is available to stream on HBO Max.