We’re not quite a year from the divisive final season of Game Of Thrones, which ended on a note that many (many) fans found to be, um, unsatisfactory. Though the cast tried to warn us before its premiere, most of them—aside from Lena Headey, of course—have been diplomatic in its aftermath. Now, it seems, some truth is beginning to seep out.
Emilia Clarke, who played dragon queen Daenerys Targaryen, recently discussed the finale and its “backlash” with the Sunday Times, hinting that she knew it might be controversial when she read it. “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 then tries to pull a similar trick to Conleth Hill, who played Varys, by blaming external factors for the finale’s fiery response. While Hill blamed the “media,” Clarke points towards the “global temperature” and “how much horrific news there is consistently.” She continues, “Because people are going, finally, here’s something I can actually see and understand and get some control back over…and then when that turns, and you don’t like what they’ve done…”
Later, however, her real feelings began to bubble up. Discussing the character’s death, she said, “Yeah, 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.” She added that the final season was “all about the set pieces,” saying the showrunners could’ve “spun it out for a little longer.”
Clarke also sounds as if, at least for now, she’s through with such gargantuan productions. “Doing a show so many people had opinions about doesn’t serve your creativity on any level,” she said.