GAME OF THRONES Star Emilia Clarke Calls Final Season Backlash "Profoundly Flattering"

GAME OF THRONES Star Emilia Clarke Calls Final Season Backlash "Profoundly Flattering"

We heard from Jon Snow actor Kit Harington earlier today, and now Emilia Clarke (Daenerys Targaryen) has weighed in on the extreme fan-backlash to the final season of HBO's Game of Thrones. Check it out.

By MarkCassidy - Sep 24, 2019 08:09 AM EST
Filed Under: Game of Thrones
The eighth and final season of Game of Thrones definitely proved to be divisive, but the last couple of episodes, in particular, came in for some serious backlash.

One of the main reasons for this was fan-favorite character Daenerys Targaryen turning heel (to borrow a wrestling term) and ordering Drogon to incinerate an entire city. The turn was perceived as being far too rushed (although that's debatable given the events that led to Dany's deteriorating mental state), and the decision to kill off the Queen of Dragons in the series finale only fueled the ire of her fans.

After Game of Thrones fourth consecutive win for Outstanding Drama at the Emmys on Sunday night, Variety asked Emilia Clarke (Solo: A Star Wars Story) for her thoughts on the negative fan-response, and her reply may surprise you.

“You know what? It was profoundly flattering is what it was because when someone cares that much that they’re ready to make such a noise about how they believe the characters should’ve been finished and how the story should’ve gone. That’s just enormously flattering. That just shows how much everybody loved it.”

Clarke then added, “We’ve had enough space now since filming, since it coming out, since the premiere, and all of that stuff. It’s been all of these different stages. Now, here we are and it feels like everyone’s had some time to cool down a little bit.”

Well, that's certainly one way of looking at it!

What do you guys make of Clarke's comments, and how do you feel about the finale of Game of Thrones now that some time has passed? Sound off in the comments below, and check out the full list of Emmy winners by hitting the "view list" button.

To view the winners all at once, simply click on the VIEW LIST (ONE PAGE) button below!

Image result for marvelous mrs maisel season 3


Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series:
Anthony Carrigan (Barry)
Stephen Root (Barry)
Henry Winkler (Barry)
Alan Arkin (The Kominsky Method)
WINNER: Tony Shalhoub (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)
Tony Hale (Veep

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series:
Sarah Goldberg (Barry)
Sian Clifford (Fleabag)
Olivia Coleman (Fleabag)
Betty Gilpin (GLOW)
WINNER: Alex Borstein (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)
Marin Hinkle (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)
Kate McKinnon (Saturday Night Live)
Anna Chlumsky (Veep)

Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series
Alec Berg, Bill Hader, Barry, “ronny/lily”
WINNER: Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Fleabag, “Episode 1”
Maya Erskine, Anna Konkle, Stacy Osei-Kuffor, PEN15, “Anna Ishii-Peters”
Leslye Headland, Natasha Lyonne, Amy Poehler, Russian Doll, “Nothing in This World Is Easy”
Josh Siegal, Dylan Morgan, The Good Place, “Janet(s)”
David Mandel, Veep, “Veep”
Image result for fleabag season 2


Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series:
Anthony Anderson (black-ish)
Don Cheadle (Black Monday)
Ted Danson (The Good Place)
Michael Douglas (The Kominsky Method)
WINNER: Bill Hader (Barry)
Eugene Levy (Schitt’s Creek)

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series:
Christina Applegate (Dead to Me)
Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Veep)
Natasha Lyonne (Russian Doll)
Catherine O’Hara (Schitt’s Creek)
WINNER: Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie:
Emily Watson, Chernobyl
Margaret Qualley, Fosse/Verdon
Patricia Clarkson, Sharp Objects
WINNER: Patricia Arquette, The Act
Vera Farmiga, When They See Us
Marsha Stephanie Blake, When They See Us
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Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie:
Stellan Skarsgård (Chernobyl)
Paul Dano (Escape at Dannemora)
WINNER: Ben Whishaw (A Very English Scandal)
Asante Blackk (When They See Us)
John Leguizamo (When They See Us)
Michael K. Williams (When They See Us)

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie:
Mahershala Ali (True Detective)
Benicio Del Toro (Escape at Dannemora)
Hugh Grant (A Very English Scandal)
Jared Harris (Chernobyl)
WINNER: Jharrel Jerome (When They See Us)
Sam Rockwell (Fosse/Verdon)

Outstanding Television Movie:
WINNER: Bandersnatch, Black Mirror
Brexit
Deadwood: The Movie
King Lear
My Dinner with Herve
Image result for tyrion lannister


Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie:
Amy Adams (Sharp Objects)
Patricia Arquette (Escape at Dannemora)
Aunjanue Ellis (When They See Us)
Joey King (The Act)
Niecy Nash (When They See Us)
WINNER: Michelle Williams (Fosse/Verdon)

Outstanding Limited Series:
WINNER: Chernobyl
Escape at Dannemora
Fosse/Verdon
Sharp Objects
When They See Us

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series:
Jonathan Banks (Better Call Saul)
Giancarlo Esposito (Better Call Saul)
Alfie Allen (Game of Thrones)
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Game of Thrones)
WINNER: Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones)
Michael Kelly (House of Cards)
Chris Sullivan (This Is Us)

Image result for ozark


Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series:
Gwendoline Christie (Game of Thrones)
Lena Headey (Game of Thrones)
Sophie Turner (Game of Thrones)
Maisie Williams (Game of Thrones)
Fiona Shaw (Killing Eve)
WINNER: Julia Garner (Ozark)

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series:
Jason Bateman (Ozark)
Sterling K. Brown (This Is Us)
Kit Harington (Game of Thrones)
Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul)
WINNER: Billy Porter (Pose)
Milo Ventimiglia (This Is Us)

Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series:
David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, Game of Thrones, “The Iron Throne”
David Nutter, Game of Thrones, “The Last of the Starks”
Miguel Sapochnik, Game of Thrones, “The Long Night”
Daina Reed, The Handmaid’s Tale, “Holly”
WINNER: Jason Bateman, Ozark, “Reparations”
Adam McKay, Succession, “Celebration”
Image result for game of thrones season 8


Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series:
Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones)
WINNER: Jodie Comer (Killing Eve)
Viola Davis (How to Get Away With Murder)
Laura Linney (Ozark)
Mandy Moore (This Is Us)
Sandra Oh (Killing Eve)
Robin Wright (House of Cards)

Outstanding Comedy Series:
Barry
WINNER: Fleabag
The Good Place
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Russian Doll
Schitt’s Creek
Veep

Outstanding Drama Series:
Better Call Saul
Bodyguard
WINNER: Game of Thrones
Killing Eve
Ozark
Pose
Succession
This Is Us
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knocturnalzen10
knocturnalzen10 - 9/24/2019, 8:59 AM
whatever helps you sleep at night :/...... what a mess that final season was :(
Scarilian
Scarilian - 9/24/2019, 9:03 AM
She's on record for hating the final season also - her reactions when asked about it say enough. She's secretly happy she was not forced to pretend the last season was amazing.

Honestly the show had problems from around the 3rd/4th season and what occured was the culmination of those.
LongMayHeReign
LongMayHeReign - 9/24/2019, 9:53 AM
@Scarilian - 3rd/4th season? Please elaborate, to me season 7 was the point no return.
CaptCoulson
CaptCoulson - 9/24/2019, 1:52 PM
@Scarilian - huh. literally the first and only person I ever come across to express such a sentiment. I mean if you felt that way, I'm genuinely surprised you didn't bail on it long ago.
WakandanQueen
WakandanQueen - 9/24/2019, 9:09 AM
She was amazing in season 8.
CaptCoulson
CaptCoulson - 9/24/2019, 1:44 PM
@WakandanQueen - this is the fantastic irony. The writing for the most part was markedly underwhelming, but for what Clarke was given, she more than held up her end of the store. Especially considering how much criticism she was often given of the quality of her acting in the first few years. Which I never thought was on the mark. sure she wasn't going to be confused with the best actor on the show even then, but she deserved the role plenty.
THEDARKKNIGHT1939
THEDARKKNIGHT1939 - 9/24/2019, 9:15 AM
It's okay Emilia,

Menks123
Menks123 - 9/24/2019, 9:23 AM
The season was definitely disappointing, but there was some greatness sprinkled in there as well. Felt very rushed ofc, but I reallllly liked her performance throughout it and can't wait to see her in more films now that GoT is done.
LongMayHeReign
LongMayHeReign - 9/24/2019, 9:56 AM
@Menks123 - The best thing about 8 was when Jaime knighted Brienne, it was an incredibly powerful and satisfying moment for one of my favorite characters.

Which was later pissed on by forcing her and Jaime to get busy just to please the "shippers". It felt like what I would imagine Marvel making Cap and Bucky a couple would feel like, gross pandering.
Chewtoy
Chewtoy - 9/24/2019, 9:33 AM
She’s not wrong... there has to be a lot of love involved for people to throw the kind of anger they did. I suppose it’s less flattering if it’s book fans who hated it, since their love didn’t originate with the show’s work, but I think the show people won enough fans to take some decent credit.

I didn’t hate it myself, as I wasn’t a person who had strong opinions about what “should” have happened, but even I found the execution to be clunky.
MarkCassidy
MarkCassidy - 9/24/2019, 9:35 AM
I liked the final season, and was OK with the final episode. I would have done some things differently, but that doesn't mean it was the mess many people make it out to be.
Menks123
Menks123 - 9/24/2019, 9:37 AM
@RorMachine - I think most people were upset because their fan theories didn't come to fruition.

Me personally, I felt it needed like 2 more episodes but I enjoyed it overall.
knocturnalzen10
knocturnalzen10 - 9/24/2019, 10:20 AM
@RorMachine - i don't take it personally or was a hardcore GOT fan like naming a child after one of the characters. but come on Ror .... it felt like they literally wanted to hurry up and finish the series and move on .... not even fan theories but give us something where the character you've built up for years be themselves or the development feels finished .
Nebula
Nebula - 9/24/2019, 9:43 AM
[insert gif of Killer Croc in Suicide Squad going "I like her."]
BigMikeReviews
BigMikeReviews - 9/24/2019, 9:54 AM
Regardless of how you felt about that last season, she really stepped it up acting wise.
Odinborn
Odinborn - 9/24/2019, 11:40 AM
Emilia Clarke gets it. Meanwhile, Sophie Turner is out here calling fans disrespectful for hating on the final season.
SummersEssex
SummersEssex - 9/24/2019, 11:53 AM
I loved the final season, and I think the endings for all the characters was superb. Wouldn't change a thing.

Still hate 90% of the X-Men franchise, though. Blech.
CaptCoulson
CaptCoulson - 9/24/2019, 1:39 PM
wait a minute... "the last 4 years before"? okay I'd picked up on the fact over the years that the series had nailed the Best Drama trophy more than once (I barely ever pay much attention to that stuff and literally watching the broadcast, frankly I can't fathom how anyone does, and that's even just the awards itself, not all the red carpet bullshit), but I had no clue those times were in each of the 4 previous seasons.
wow.
So, the FIRST 4 seasons of Game Of Thrones legitimately stack up with pretty much among the superior of any other television in the history of the medium, but they wound up winning the trophy for none of *that*, but for what sure as hell seem to be majority-wise deemed the 'lesser' span of the show. Mind you, I say that even with the qualifier that there are plenty of different little details and moments across season 5 (including arguably the single best ep of the series with "Hardhome"), and while that s6 may generally be considered by most fans to be weaker in the wake of s1-4, but it's the standout from s5-8. Also, I say all this while most definitely NOT being among the "worst. ending. ever! and retroactively wasted the last decade of my life!" crowd when regarding s8 as a whole. Trust me I've got no shortage of issues with it but even throughout s8 there were several things I really dug, while I would classify myself as "disappointed" with the final season, it by no means destroyed the entire thing for me and that I'll never watch a Thrones ep again.

But really, if this going down doesn't demonstrate fairly clearly that the very concept of awards shows for artistic endeavors is just beyond silly.
but this is Hollywood we're talking about, we all know the act of patting yourself on the back ain't going anywhere anytime soon lol
fadersdream
fadersdream - 9/24/2019, 2:04 PM
When I finished season 2 (which is when I stopped watching, sorry) I thought "She is going to become the villain in the final season, and you'll see this epic battle between her and Jon Snow and see each ones point of view" and there would this long drawn out campaign...

and they'll lose because they couldn't make peace and stop the white walkers and it would end with what was left of people having to survive in a world over taken by winter.

...

I was mostly right, and my idea was better.
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