Of course, in the five years since, Game of Thrones has become the most successful show in HBO history, surpassing even The Sopranos, with an average 18.4 million viewers an episode across all platforms. Read More ‘Game of Thrones’ TV Series Will Spoil the Books, Says Showrunner And HBO was willing to spend like a Lannister - $8 million for the pilot, $50 million to $60 million for the first season - in order to build the series. But Clarke was auditioning for the role of a queen, Daenerys Targaryen, potential heir to the Iron Throne. Just one year out of the famed Drama Centre London (other alums include Colin Firth, Michael Fassbender and Tom Hardy), the self-described “country girl” who grew up in Berkshire near Oxford University (where her father is a theater sound engineer and her mom a marketing exec) was struck by the extravagance. “There was a huge, incredible plateau of fruit,” Clarke, 28, recalls in her chirpy British accent. It was 2010, and the actress was standing before Game of Thrones‘ casting director and several of the show’s producers.
This story first appeared in the April 10 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine.įor some reason, Emilia Clarke best remembers the fruit plate.
