Updated
Updated · Winter is Coming · May 29
Emilia Clarke Says 8-Season Game of Thrones Enforced Exact Script Adherence
Updated
Updated · Winter is Coming · May 29

Emilia Clarke Says 8-Season Game of Thrones Enforced Exact Script Adherence

1 articles · Updated · Winter is Coming · May 29

Summary

  • Emilia Clarke said David Benioff and D.B. Weiss required Game of Thrones actors to deliver lines exactly as written, with no room to improvise dialogue or alter character beats.
  • Variety asked whether she could have pushed to change Daenerys Targaryen's fate, and Clarke said the showrunners were so strict they would reshoot if an actor said “it's” instead of “it is.”
  • Clarke said she had no creative input beyond her performance and did not want any, calling Benioff and Weiss “geniuses” and saying she was not ready then for a producer-style role.
  • Eight seasons after the HBO series ended, Clarke said she never felt stifled by that process and now looks back on the show with gratitude for what it did for her career.

Insights

Having now produced, does Emilia Clarke see the showrunners' strict control on *Thrones* as a strength or a fatal flaw?
Has the *Thrones* finale changed how studios and authors now approach adapting epic fantasy series for television?
After demanding script perfection on *Thrones*, why did its showrunners abandon a *Star Wars* trilogy over creative control?