‘Game Of Thrones’: That Sexual Tension Between Daenerys And Yara Wasn’t Scripted
Did you Game of Thrones fans catch that flirtation between Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clark) and Yara Greyjoy (Gemma Whelan) in the “Battle of the Bastards” episode? Of course you did. But what you may not know is that even though that unresolved sexual tension is consistent with the recently-outed Yara, that little thing between the two Game of Thrones actresses wasn’t exactly scripted, according to Whelan in a new interview with Vulture.
All right, all of you Daera/Yanerys shippers, take a deep breath and cool your jets (or take a cold shower.) Whelan is certainly adapting quickly to the recent revelation of Yara’s sexuality, during a rowdy tryst with that bawdy, half-naked prostitute just a couple episodes ago. Not that it’s really relevant, but many Game of Thrones fans want to know, is Yara lesbian or bisexual?
“I don’t think she’s bisexual. There’s a new saying going around, ‘pansexual,’ which means if she’s up for it… I think she says, ‘I’m up for anything.’ That’s her ethos. I don’t think she swings any way in particular, other than the way she feels at the time. She’s just open-minded, which fits the character perfectly.”
“You never know where you stand, right up through the time you’re doing the read-through and shooting. But as far as I’m concerned, I’m very open-minded about what’s offered for my character, so while I didn’t see it coming, I thought, ‘Yes! Why not?'”
That sexuality apparently carried over to her scene with Daenerys, when they were negotiating for her to join forces with the Mother of Dragons to form her super army. Yara rather bluntly informs Dany of her uncle’s intent to deliver to her a very specific part of his anatomy — as part of a marriage deal to combine forces — then promptly kill her for her kingdom. Apparently that kind of dirty talk, even in the context of a not so happy ending for Daenerys, was enough to start heating up that tension. Whelan says it wasn’t explicitly set up that way in the script or by the director, but happened very naturally due to the natural “chemistry” between the two.
“It was probably intended in the script, but it didn’t need writing down because it was so well-written,” Whelan told Vulture. “I suppose we’re matching each other, we’re testing each other’s mettle with our very sparse dialogue there, and we get the idea, we get the cut of each other’s jib quite quickly, and we like the size of each other — what we have to say, what we both stand for, is appealing. Not necessarily in a sexual way, but in the way that power is attractive, and it’s something we both want to achieve, and we can do it together.”
“Emilia and I both enjoy the idea. We get along very well, so we enjoy working with each other quite a lot. So maybe! I don’t know! It’s up to the writers and the machinations of their minds. We like each other, we reflect each other, and whether it’s more than friendship is irrelevant, really.”
Any hopes of that romance blossoming may be hindered with the impending battle for the last two seasons of Game of Thrones, now that the epic final showdown against Queen Cersei (Lena Headey) is on the horizon, not to mention those White Walkers. Daenerys, Yara, and other allies are coming from the south, while the new King of the North, Jon Snow (Kit Harington) heads Cersei’s way from the north. Plus many fans believe that the inevitable union will be Daenerys Targaryen and Jon Snow, hence the book series title of “A Song of Ice and Fire.”
It makes a lot of sense. But hey, who knows Game of Thrones fans. There may still be time for one heck of a bachelorette party before Daenerys finds her king.
[Image via HBO]
