While "Game of Thrones" main character Daenerys Targaryen has inspired fans from all over the world to stand up for themselves, actress Emilia Clarke admits that she herself needed a lot of inspiring to be able to step up to the role.
And who better to turn to for royal inspiration than Good Queen Bess herself?
Before even landing the role, the 29-year-old actress took Barney's advice and "used her imagination" to nail the audition.
"I kind of fell into the room, probably cracked a joke that didn't land very well. And then, yeah, just started saying strong things in Dothraki," Clarke described in an interview.
One she was granted the role, Clarke began her quest for inspiration, beginning with the award-winning Australian actress Cate Blanchett, who played Queen Elizabeth I.
"The role of Khaleesi is tall and willowy and blonde, I'm short and round and brown. So they weren't, like, she can do that role, easy!" Clarke shared.
Though well-known for her role as Queen Elizabeth I in Universal Pictures' 2007 film, "Elizabeth: The Golden Age," Blanchett starred in an earlier film about the last monarch of the Tudor dynasty. Her first role as Queen Elizabeth came in Shekhar Kapur's 1998 biographical film, "Elizabeth."
"Cate Blanchett in Elizabeth was something that I watched lot in preparation for season one ... And the fact that it's rooted in reality, to know I was able to replica a real, strong female leader," said Clarke.
But then again, roles of royalty were never really difficult to come by for the 46-year-old actress and director. Perhaps this was the reason for Clarke's admiration, as Blanchett also played the royal Elf, Galadriel, in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy.
It turns out that Clarke has been preparing for the role of Khaleesi even as a young girl at home. The actress was raised by a strong mother who emphasized equality between men and women.
"I was brought up by a strong mum," she explained. "I can see the cracks, and it's surprising and shocking and saddening that that is the case, that women are perceived differently ... You just begin to see that you, as a girl, are treated differently, even when you're playing the Mother of Dragons."
Coincidentally (or is it really?), the character of Daenerys Targaryen has often been compared to Queen Elizabeth I.
Both rulers were power-hungry and well-armed: Queen Elizabeth I had her British ships that defeated the powerful Spanish Armada, while Khaleesi has her three dragons - all of which proved to be quite unmanageable at some point. The two intentionally remained unmarried to easily expand and preserve power, and they also banished their confidantes: Jorah Mormont and Robert Devereux, respectively.
Clark acknowledges that playing the role of a headstrong ruler has helped her in real life.
"Being able to play this strong girl, you can kind of take notes and see how I can apply that to my own life."
To all the queen's insurgents, she leaves a "calm and collected" word:
"Like a good Mother of Dragons, I'm always in control."
Photo: Gage Skidmore | Flickr
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