After Kit Harington, Another Game of Thrones Star Steps Up to Defend HBO’s Biggest Hit

If you thought the Game of Thrones cast might be desperate to shake off the shadow of Westeros, think again—well, at least not entirely. Emilia Clarke, the Mother of Dragons herself, has been mulling over her Thrones experience and, to be honest, she sounds rather at peace with the whole thing. Not that there hasn’t been a bit of internal debate, mind you.

Yes, She’ll Always Be 'That Dragon Girl'

Clarke popped up recently on Virgin Radio UK’s TFI Friday Official and got chatting about what it’s been like living with, and after, Game of Thrones. After eight seasons ruling as Daenerys Targaryen, you'd think she might be itching to move on. Turns out, she's landed in a pretty healthy spot:

'I think I went through a phase of being like, oh, trying to want to be known for more than just Game of Thrones, but now I’m just like, it was phenomenal… Now I’m just deeply grateful it happened. And I’ll probably always be that dragon girl. And maybe that’s okay.'

Look—if you’ve had millions watching you fly about on dragons, it’s probably easier just to lean into it. And honestly, why fight it? There are worse things to be remembered for.

Kit Harington Still Backs the Finale (Surprisingly)

Speaking of former Thrones royalty sticking up for their show, Kit Harington (that’d be Jon Snow) has been defending the much-debated Season 8 finish. Despite the barrage of online fury, Kit’s sticking to his swords:

• He’s 'very protective' of the ending
• He thinks only the main showrunners could have wrapped it up, given they brought George R.R. Martin’s not-quite-finished epic to TV in the first place
• He’ll 'always be very defensive of it as a show and as a season'

If you were hoping the cast would finally admit, 'Yes, we know the last season didn’t land,' keep holding your breath. For better or worse, the defenders are out in force.

The Dothraki Debate: Clarke vs. George R.R. Martin

Now, here's a fun bit of Thrones trivia. Clarke also mentioned a particularly peculiar complaint from George R.R. Martin himself—the chap whose brain cooked up all this madness in the first place. Apparently, Martin once had a bit of a moan about how Clarke pronounced the Dothraki language on-screen.

Her response? Bang on:

'I’m like, "Bro, it’s not been said out loud." And I do it on camera, and he’s like in an interview, "She didn’t do it very well." I started it!'

Hard to argue with the actor who’s inventing a language as she goes along, considering Martin never exactly gave her a pronunciation guide. Always fun when an author decides to play armchair linguist after the fact.