(This article contains spoilers for the final season of Game of Thrones.)
Emilia Clarke, who played Daenerys Targaryen across all seven seasons of Game of Thrones, was set up throughout the series as a character with the potential to unite the land of Westeros–but ultimately, her character faced a far more ignoble fate. Now, in a new interview with The Sunday Times, Clarke has opened up about her feelings towards the divisive series finale.
When asked whether she expected the finale to be controversial, Clarke gives a relatively diplomatic response. “I knew how I felt when I first read it, and I tried, at every turn, not to consider too much what other people might say, but I did always consider what the fans might think–because we did it for them, and they were the ones who made us successful, so … it’s just polite, isn’t it?,” she said.
She puts some of the less positive responses to the final episodes down to the “global temperature, how much horrific news there is consistently,” but also admits that she had her own struggles with the ending. Speaking about her character, she says, “I felt for her. I really felt for her. And yeah, was I annoyed that Jon Snow didn’t have to deal with something?…He got away with murder–literally.”
Clarke also wishes that the last season had run a bit longer and been heavier on dialog, but understands why this was not the case: “The sensational nature of the show was, possibly, given a huge amount of airtime because that’s what makes sense.”
“We could have spun it out for a little longer,” she adds.
There’s a new Game of Thrones prequel series, House of the Dragon, in the works, but it likely won’t debut until 2022. Meanwhile, Jack Gleeson–who played the much-hated Joffrey on the show–is returning to acting, this time in a comedy, and the GoT showrunners have appeared on Westworld.
