Emilia Clarke has shared the hilarious and surprising story of how she landed the iconic role of Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones, and it all started with her thinking the call was a prank.
Quick read:
- Emilia Clarke was working at a museum when she got called up to play Daenerys
- Actress Tamzin Merchant was the original choice for the role
- Clarke’s life switched completely after the call-up
In an interview with Variety, Clarke recalled the moment her manager called her while she was working at a museum gift shop, telling her she had been chosen to replace Tamzin Merchant, the original actress cast as Daenerys.
Credits: BBC Two
The “no idea what you’re talking about” moment
Clarke said she was completely shocked when she got the news:
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“I thought it was a joke. I genuinely thought someone was pranking me.”
She was working a normal day job when her manager rang her in the bathroom to break the news that she had been recast as the Mother of Dragons. Clarke admitted she had “no idea what you’re talking about” at first because the opportunity seemed too big to be real.
Tamzin Merchant had filmed the original pilot as Daenerys, but after the pilot was reworked, the producers decided to go in a different direction and recast the role. Clarke auditioned, impressed the team, and was offered the part; all while she was still relatively unknown.
From museum worker to global star
At the time, Clarke was in her early 20s and had just graduated from drama school. Landing one of the biggest roles in television history changed her life overnight. Looking back, Clarke laughs at how surreal the whole experience was. She has often joked about the wild contrast between her quiet life before Game of Thrones and the global fame that followed.
