Emilia Clarke: Game of Thrones' Warrior Princess
Emilia Clarke, Game Of Thrones
British actress Emilia Clarke, 23, plays Game of Thrones' exiled princess Daenerys Targaryen, who is forced to marry warrior Khal Drogo (Jason Momoa) by her brother Viserys (Harry Lloyd) in exchange for an army so he can reclaim the throne. Now, she's giving orders of her own.
TV Guide Magazine: Daenerys is no longer the scared waif who first wed into the nomadic Dothraki tribe, is she?
Clarke: You're seeing her grow from a submissive girl into a woman — and a kick-ass warrior queen.
TV Guide Magazine: How does pregnancy change her?
Clarke: It gives her enormous strength and an iron will.
TV Guide Magazine: Was it hard to learn the Dothraki language invented for the show?
Clarke: It was to start off with, but it's spelled almost phonetically. The way it reads, you can break down how it sounds. We had this amazing dialect coach, Brendan Gunn. [He coached Brad Pitt.]
TV Guide Magazine: Did you need to learn to ride for this?
Clarke: I grew up around horses, but acting and riding on camera is a whole different thing. [A horse is] not a prop. It's a live thing with thoughts and needs. If he wants to bolt, he wants to bolt. Being in a confined space [on a soundstage] with a huge, commanding animal can be quite scary.
TV Guide Magazine: Speaking of dangerous, how do those filmy gowns you wear stay on?
Clarke: They sew me in!
Game of Thrones airs Sunday at 9/8c on HBO.
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