Emilia Clarke: ‘Game Of Thrones’ Actress Reveals That Cate Blanchett Inspired The Way Clarke Plays Khaleesi
The first thing you might notice when you look at Emilia Clarke is that she doesn’t look much like her character on Game of Thrones. Daenerys has long blonde hair and is tall, whereas Emilia is shorter and has dark hair. Forgetting that for a moment, though, it’s obvious that Clarke has put a great deal of thought and effort into playing her character on Game of Thrones. So, where did Khaleesi draw her inspiration from?
It’s been said that Emilia Clarke’s acting on the show was sub-par, but fans also pointed out that there are moments in the show when Daenerys is supposed to be empty of emotion, and Clarke definitely pulls that off well. We get the sense Daenerys has no qualms about seeing her brother killed, for example, as she doesn’t flinch when Viserys has molten gold poured over his head.
What may not be so obvious is that Emilia based her character’s personality on that of another strong female ruler: Cate Blanchett’s titular character in the 1998 movie Elizabeth. Or perhaps it’s more accurate to say Cate Blanchett was one of a number of influences. Clarke told Time that she tried to draw on “as many strong women” as she could when preparing for her role as Khaleesi.
![Emilia Clarke attends the Season Four premiere of Game of Thrones in New York alongside co-star Peter Dinklage (Tyrion Lannister) on March 18, 2014 [Image Via Jaime McCarthy, Getty Images]](http://cdn.inquisitr.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Emlia-Clarke-Game-Of-Thrones-Premiere-466x700.jpg)
Some Game of Thrones fan theories have tried to interpret Dany’s visions in the House of The Undying to discover Azor Ahai’s identity, while other theories claim Dany is not a Targaryen but a BlackFyre, a descendant of Aegon IV’s bastard children. While we don’t quite know what’s ahead in the next season, Clarke did promise that season 6 would be “sick” and Game of Thrones fans would experience some amazing plot twists, as Inquisitr noted.
Debates over theory aside, we can all agree that Clarke is a talented actress. Everyone’s favorite Targaryen recieved two Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2013 and 2015. Additionally, Marie Claire notes that Clarke took some cues from her mother when portraying Khaleesi; the 29-year-old actress told Marie Claire that her mother was a strong woman who taught her there was no difference between men and women.
![Emilia Clarke: "Game Of Thrones" Actress Reveals That Cate Blanchett Inspired The Way Clarke Plays Khaleesi](http://cdn.inquisitr.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Emilia-Clarke-Emmy-Awards-670x491.jpg)
[Image via Flickr.com]