After much hype and anticipation, the eighth and final season of HBO’s Game of Thrones has come and gone.
And while the show undoubtedly delivered a spectacle to remember, there are those who believe the six-part finale was rather underwhelming when compared to the fantasy drama that came before. It certainly went by in a flash – even with the extended episodes – and one can’t help but wonder whether season 8 would have benefited from the regular 10-episode installment, rather than a truncated season.
Be that as it may, as part of Variety’s Actors on Actors series, the Mother of Dragons herself, Emilia Clarke, sat down with Regina Hall to discuss all things Thrones, including Clarke’s one lasting regret about the final season.
“I didn’t take anything, and I deeply regret it, and I’m very annoyed. I’m really hoping that the showrunners give me a dragon. I need my smelly socks. I think I did take those.”
Drogon was last spotted flying east of Westeros – in the opposite direction of Arya Stark – so we don’t imagine HBO has a dragon lying around spare. We jest, of course; Emilia Clarke will surely have another opportunity to nab some Game of Thrones keepsakes, as the Powers That Be are already marching full steam ahead on a prequel series set some 10,000 years before the events of A Song of Ice and Fire.
On a more serious note, Clarke reflected on the moment she bid farewell to Thrones and the character of Daenerys Targaryen.
Having it come to its completion feels utterly surreal. So much life has happened in the 10 years that I’ve been on the show. I’ve grown into a woman. I was 23. It’s been almost a year in post, and it’s taken me that long to come to terms with it. Where are my dragons? That famous line. Where the hell are they? It felt deeply emotional.
Clarke’s reign is over, but a new saga is about to begin. Codenamed Blood Moon, the Game of Thrones prequel series has already begun filming in Belfast with Naomi Watts, Miranda Richardson, Josh Whitehouse, Naomi Ackie, Denise Gough, Shiela Atim, Ivanno Jeremiah, George Henley and Toby Regbo in tow. And if that isn’t enough to pique your curiosity, we don’t know what will.