Robb Stark and Daenerys Targaryen never had a chance to meet in Game of Thrones. But that didn’t stop Emilia Clarke and Richard Madden from ending up fast friends off screen. That camaraderie was at full display at this year’s Time’s 100 Gala, where both Madden and Clarke are honorees.
The Mother of Dragons and former King in the North were seen chatting and laughing amicably, sharing jokes and tidbits. Madden wouldn’t call this a proper reunion though; as he revealed to Time Magazine, “I see Emilia all the time so it’s not too big a deal to reunite.”
Madden and Clarke are on the Time Magazine’s 2019 list of the 100 most influential people on earth, in the company of Jacinda Arden, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rami Malek, Brie Larson, Mashehara Ali, Mark Zuckerberg, Michelle Obama, and Donald Trump among others. Both Madden and Clarke, now assured performers in their own right, had their first breakthrough in Game of Thrones.
Richard Madden and Emilia Clarke, seen here with Rami Malek and Time editor Dan Macsai at the Time 100 Gala 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
After Robb Stark breathed his last in ‘Rains of Castamere’, Madden went on to star in Netflix’s Medici and BBC’s Bodyguard, the latter fetching him a Golden Globe this year and establishing him as a consummate performer. He will be next seen as Elton John’s former manager and boyfriend John Reid in the Rocketman biopic.
Clarke, on the other hand, inspired millions of women through both her on-screen antics and off-screen trauma. Clarke had suffered multiple brain aneurysms during the early days of GoT and was at risk of brain damage, something she kept hidden until recently.
She has now started a charity to rehabilitate victims of brain stroke and injuries. Her friend and co-star for the upcoming Last Christmas Emma Thompson wrote the Time 100 issue tribute for her, saying “She has the courage of a small lion, the stamina of a Welsh pit pony and the soul of a clown. A powerhouse to watch and an ally to die for.”
