Emilia Clarke Refuses to Watch House of the Dragon, And We Can't Blame Her
The actress' reason for doing so is rather unusual.
House of the Dragon, a fantasy drama TV series from HBO based on the books by George R. R. Martin, quickly became a major hit with great reviews from critics and audiences, and the second season on its way.
Serving as a prequel to the Game of Thrones TV series, the story depicts the beginning of the end for House Targaryen and their rule over the Seven Kingdoms.
Despite the great reception, the show doesn't seem to be everyone's cup of tea, including Emilia Clarke, who portrayed Daenerys Targaryen in the original series. When asked if she watched House of the Dragon, she gave an unexpected answer, but her reason for avoiding the show is rather unique.
In an interview with Variety, Emilia said that while she's very happy that the prequel was successful, she hasn't seen it and has no plans to because it just feels too weird.
She compared it to going to a high school reunion that is not your year.
And we can't blame her; after dedicating so many years of your life to the world of Westeros, it would be awkward to see the story continue without you in it.
Besides, knowing how it all works might take some of the magic out of the show.
"Makes sense. Once you make something, you don't find a lot of joy in watching it yourself. The illusion is shattered and it's hard to watch the show without thinking about the rest of the context. She'll never see the dragons as dragons, just green stuffed pillows and it'll be ridiculous to her," Reddit user MassiveStallion said.
Other fans jokingly point out that it would be very weird to see your grandparents having sex on screen to a million viewers audience.
Or maybe poor Emilia is so appalled by the way the writers treated her character in the last season of the original show that she has had enough of it for the rest of her life?
After all, she did somewhat hint that she wasn't a big fan of that season 8 finale...
It may also be a creative way to prevent questions in the future. The Game of Thrones franchise is not the only project Clarke worked on, so perhaps the actress is already trying to distance herself from it to make way for new endeavors.
So it might be a smart move to avoid answering the countless questions about her opinion of the story that will inevitably come up as the show goes on.
The release date for House of the Dragon season 2 has not yet been announced, although it is expected in 2024.