Why Emilia Clarke Cried On Her First Day Of Filming Game of Thrones
Playing an iconic character in a massive hit show may seem like a dream for any actor. And no doubt it is. But it also brings pressures.
When Emilia Clarke was first cast as Daenerys Targaryen at just 22 years of age, she had no idea just how big the show would be. Nonetheless, there were some tough times during filming – starting on day one.
You might even argue that it got tough before then. Clarke famously got het up during her audition and ended up doing a pretty poor version of the robot and offering to make tea to cut through the tension.
Prior to landing the role she hadn't yet made a name for herself in the acting world, so just being cast for an HBO show that clearly had a hefty budget would have been nerve-wracking for her.
Fast forward to her first day of filming and poor Emilia ended up in tears after falling from a horse in front of the crew. It was to be expected really. Considering not many people get around her home city of London on horseback, why would she be a proficient rider?
Still, through hard work and perseverance, she learned to ride a horse. And she even took on some other stunts as the show continued.
As you might expect based on the content of the series, there were some quite challenging shoots throughout the series.
In season 1, Dany had to eat a horse heart as part of her pregnancy ceremony. Clearly, the actor was not presented with a real horse heart to chow down on, but she did reveal that she was given something "truly disgusting to eat" which made acting repulsed at it fairly straightforward.
In fact, the "heart" was made from solidified jam and, in Clarke's words, "tasted like bleach and raw pasta".
Then there were the nude scenes which made some of her early days on set a bit awkward – as well as that assault scene.
At one point during filming, she had to "take a little time out" for a cup of tea and a little cry. Then it was back on with creating one of the most epic shows in TV history.
Not that she was against nudity in the show, but she does feel that it was a little one-sided.
"You know I did it," she said in an interview for The Express, "so why can't the boys do it?"
It may have been tough for her at times. And nobody wants to think of Emilia Clarke lying in a heap next to a horse with the crew stifling a laugh on her first day of filming. But I think we can all agree that, from the slightly odd audition process, through tears on day one and a few awkward moments on set, we're glad Emilia got the part and persevered through the tough times.