Actor Emilia Clarke rose to international fame with her role in the fantasy series Game of Thrones.
In her latest series Ponies, which also stars Haley Lu Richardson, Clarke says she appreciated the opportunity to share the screen with another woman in a central role.
What's Happening
- Talking about the experience, Emilia Clarke highlighted how different the dynamic felt compared to most of her previous projects.
- "It's a big thing. I don't know about others, but I have never had the good fortune of being able to work with my co-sta,r not being a boy, be it a boyfriend or husband, or it being a woman, that is not related to my character. Here, we are just two women in this world, and there is an emotional sisterhood. You don't see a bunch of it on screen, and this was a major part of why I wanted to do it, as I knew it would be joyful," she said.
- Despite her standing in the industry, Clarke believes gender inequality continues to persist.
- She said, "The gender disparity is not fixed by any means. There is still a wild pay gap difference, but it's been changing for the better for sure. The thing that we are acknowledging in Western society now is the amount of emotional labour that women do. We are acknowledging women for what they do with that being a significant factor towards driving the change that today we have stay-at-home dads as supposed to the mum who is traditionally meant to stay at home."
- "The situation is definitely changing but there are still many walks of life where that is deeply rooted in a culture. We are very lucky that we are empowered women who are existing in a culture that's allowing us to speak our truths, but that isn't the case for everyone," she added.
Background
Looking back at the global attention she received through Game of Thrones, Clarke described the experience as something that built up gradually.
She said, "I experienced it over a steady time period. It started with people sort of recognising me because the way I looked with wig was completely different from how I look in real life. But then getting into the craziness was very different for me than a lot of people because my show was based in fantasy. I don't want to use this word lightly, but it's almost sort of gimmicky to a point, like a Halloween costume. So the interactions that I get would be very different to that of someone displaying a straight acting role."
She added that while the attention was flattering, it also became overwhelming during the later years of the show.
She shared, "In the last few seasons of the show, I was getting panic attacks. I feel like I am always in a backroom with fame. I love people, I just want to have conversations with people and hang out, have a nice time, but sometimes fame just gets in the way. So I'm just constantly trying to keep that down. But then goes a couple years not doing Game of Thrones, and you are less recognised. So, it's a fickle thing. Fame will be there and then it will go away. You just got to make sure that that's not the reason why you are waking up in the morning."
