Emilia Clarke says she never thought Game of Thrones "wasn't great": "I'm deeply grateful it happened"

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In most actors' careers, there's always that one defining role that they will probably always be known for. For Emilia Clarke its Daenerys Targaryen in HBO's Game of Thrones, and she's completely fine with that.

"I think I went through a phase of being like, oh, trying to want to be known for more than just Game of Thrones," said Clarke on Virgin Radio UK. "But now I'm just like, it was phenomenal."

The show ran for eight years and eight seasons, quickly becoming one of HBO's most popular shows. However, the final season left a sour taste in a lot of fans' mouths due to it feeling rushed as the source material had not been written at the time, and still hasn't now. Game of Thrones season 8 sits at 55% on Rotten Tomatoes, which is a pretty steep drop as seasons 1-7 all sit above 90%.

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However, this isn't why Clarke wanted to be known for something else rather than being in Game of Thrones. "I never didn't think it was great," added Clarke. "But I was always like, 'but I can do all these other things, and I swear to God, I'm an actor.' Now I'm just deeply grateful it happened. And I'll probably always be that dragon girl. And maybe that's okay."

Clarke was just 24 years old when the first season came out, and due to the show's annual release strategy, she would spend the next almost decade of her life working on that one project. Earlier in the interview, Clarke recalls when she first took on the role, which included learning the Dothraki language, only to find out that Game of Thrones writer George R.R. Martin, "the man who came up with the language," didn't approve. "I'm like, 'Bro, it's not been said out loud.' And I do it on camera, and he's like in an interview, 'She didn't do it very well.' I started it!"

Although the Game of Thrones main series came to an end in 2011, the universe lives on in multiple spin-offs. House of the Dragon, which is set about 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones, hit HBO in 2022, with House of the Dragon season 3 premiering this summer. Then, this year, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms started, and has already been renewed for season 2.

House of the Dragon season 3 hits HBO and HBO Max on June 21, 2026. For more, check out our House of the Dragon timeline and our breakdown of the Targaryen family tree.

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Megan GarsideJunior Social Media Editor, GamesRadar+

I'm the Junior Social Media Editor here at GamesRadar+, handling all of Total Film's social platforms. However, I also write, covering all things film and TV for the site's entertainment section. I joined GamesRadar+ in 2023 and have been here ever since. I previously worked in communications after graduating with an MA in journalism. In my spare time, you can find me binging horror movies or getting lost in a cosy little game on my Switch.

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