Enchanting Emilia Clarke

July 15 2017

Press: Game of Thrones S7 premiere guide: A clash of queens

EW – Lena Headey and Emilia Clarke on their characters’ strengths and weaknesses in the war to come

If you think war in Westeros has been bloody and devastating with all those would-be kings contending for the Iron Throne, just wait until the queens get their turn to face off. We spoke to Emilia Clarke (Daenerys Targaryen) and Lena Headey (Cersei Lannister) about the brewing battle between their characters in season 7.

On the throne in King’s Landing is Cersei, the ruler of Westeros by a combo of marriage, misfortune, and assassination; soon-to-claim the throne at Dragonstone is Daenerys, the exiled former princess returning home to claim her birthright. It’s a rivalry that threatens to tear Westeros apart—with our beloved Starks at Winterfell potentially caught in the middle. Below is a reminder and analysis of the resources each side has and some thoughts from the stars on this clash of queens:

THEIR ARMIES

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June 09 2017

Press: GOT stars on filming their last scenes: ‘We’ll miss the Belfast accent’

BELEFAST TELEGRAPH – Ahead of the seventh series of Game of Thrones which begins in July, Una Brankin talks to the show’s biggest stars, including Emilia Clarke and Kit Harington, about the ending of the most-watched TV show in the world and how they feel about their last days of filming and leaving Belfast behind.

It’s girl power all the way in the seventh series of Game of Thrones according to the cast members who filmed their final scenes in Belfast’s Titanic Studios and the Linen Mill studios in Banbridge.

And to the delight, especially, of those playing the warring women of Westeros, the drama that started out in 2009 as a male-dominated medieval adventure has become a powerful tale of female empowerment.

Actress Emilia Clarke has high hopes for her warrior queen character, Daenerys, ending up on the famous hot seat.

All eyes will be on the tiny but fierce Daenerys and her ferocious dragons (now three) as she makes her bid for power, alongside “the imp” Tyrion Lannister, in the final series of the hit show, which begins on Sky Atlantic on Monday, July 17.

“Right now, I’m sort of feeling – with her – optimistic,” says Emilia, who was cast as Daenerys, the princess also known as Mother of Dragons, after a guest spot on the BBC drama Doctors. “She’ll probably need some help, though. I’ll definitely be disappointed if she doesn’t make it.

“I think that there was always that idea that she would know where she was going to, but the reality is frightening.

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March 15 2017

‘Voice from the Stone’ Lives Out a “Hitchcockian Fairy Tale”

For those who have seen Me Before You, the beginning of the trailer for Voice from the Stone may seem a little familiar. A young person has undergone a tragedy, and Emilia Clarke‘s character is brought in to help. She’s caring, witty, and charming, and is hoping to bring them back from the brink. But Voices from the Stone is not a love story, it’s a supernatural thriller. At this remote Italian castle, Clarke’s Verena wants to help young Jakob (Edward Dring), whose mother just passed away. He hasn’t spoken since, but swears he hears her voice in the walls. Soon, she does too …

Verena also gets into a relationship with Jackob’s father, Klaus (Marton Csokas), which keeps her at the house long after she starts realizing something is very wrong. Check out the creepy trailer below:

As badass as Clarke can be in action movies or as the Khaleesi on Game of Thrones, I think she’s really at her best in these smaller dramatic roles. Directed by Eric Howell and based on the novel by Silvio Raffo, the movie (which takes place in the 1950s) was described by Howell to USA Today as a “Hitchcockian fairy tale.” Clarke added that for Verena, the house is “mixed in with all of the loneliness she has felt in her life as a nurse who is always moving from one family to another. It seems that happiness is only a family away.”

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March 15 2017

The New Sexy

My life has been shaped by a true sense of equality; it was never an overt “for crying out loud Emilia is just as capable as her brother!” it was simply etched into every action, choice, and behaviour of my family.

It was a recognised matter of fact that I, as a woman, was no different to my brother. Just as my mum was no different from my father in their careers, therefore I was raised in an equal earning, equally managed household that showed me anything a man could do, a woman could and should do too.

So I grew up with a voice, but it was not a shared voice of a generation, and it was only much later I realised what an incredible, feminist, start to life I had been given.

In the last few months we have all witnessed a major shift in the way women are collectively making their voices heard. The Women’s March on 21 January gathered more than five million people throughout the world – giving us all the lead to see what we can do to make this a change that’s here to stay.

Now I don’t know about you, but there are days where I feel like a guilty feminist. What am I actually doing every day to stand up for women’s rights? My personal experiences, and my understanding of the bigger issues of inequality, aren’t enough. What can I take part in, against hate and oppression, to ensure that the women’s movement continues, and strengthens and grows?

And so guest editing the All Women Everywhere edition of The Huffington Post UK is not a task I take lightly.

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December 20 2016

‘Game of Thrones’: The Top 30 Characters, Ranked

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER – With 60 episodes under its belt and counting, HBO’s Game of Thrones has produced an enormous amount of characters — some more successful than others, sure, but almost all of them distinct and memorable in their own right.

Indeed, the ensemble is so vast that you could anoint virtually any character as your personal favorite, and you wouldn’t be wrong. Is it nothing but Jon Snow (Kit Harington) in your forecast? No argument here. Do you forsake the old gods and the new, bowing before Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) instead? Easy to see why! There’s no right or wrong way to prioritize affinity toward the heroes and villains of the HBO fantasy series — which is a helpful thing to keep in mind while considering how we have prioritized these characters.

With that out of the way, here’s how The Hollywood Reporter ranks the top 30 characters featured on Game of Thrones, through six seasons of the series:

3. Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke)

She’s as synonymous with Game of Thrones as virtually any other character. Indeed, she’s a transcendent figure, even for those who don’t watch the show. Think about how often the words “Khaleesi” and “Mother of Dragons” are applied these days. The case should be closed there, as Emilia Clarke’s iconic work as Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea and Mother of Dragons (among other mouthy titles) more than speaks for itself.

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