Emilia Clarke, famed for Daenerys Targaryen, has declared she’s “finished with the fantasy genre,” unlikely to ever appear with dragons again. Reflecting on her ‘Game of Thrones’ journey, she felt overwhelmed. Now, Clarke is embracing a new challenge, starring as a spy in the Cold War-era drama “Ponies,” her first lead TV role since GOT.
Emilia Clarke indeed played the role of one of the most popular characters of the fantasy drama ‘Game of Thrones’; however, the actor may not be returning to the genre. In the show, Clarke portrayed the iconic character of Daenerys Targaryen for eight years. Emilia Clarke shared with The New York Times that she is “finished with the fantasy genre.” She remarked, “You’re highly unlikely to see me get on a dragon, or even in the same frame as a dragon, ever again.”
Emilia Clarke’s thoughts on her role in GOT
When Emilia started playing the part of “Khaleesi” in GOT, she was just 22. The role definitely made her one of the most famous actors in the world; however, Emilia feels she didn’t have the time to reflect on the experience at that time. In a conversation with New York Times, she said, “There was never any time to stop and consider the meaning of it.” “I never had the foresight to think, ‘You’re going to want to take a minute.”In 2020, Clarke told MTV that “I get why people are pissed” when it comes to Dany’s dark turn. She added, “I totally get it. But, me being the actor, you can’t do justice to the character that you poured your blood, sweat, and tears into for a decade without getting on the same page. So like, I’m not just going to be there being like, ‘Fine, I’ll do the scene, whatever. I’m so pissed.’ You have to turn up.”
What Emilia feels about her career
Emilia Clarke feels that most of the roles she played throughout her career “didn’t reflect her taste. She said to The New York Times, “So much of my career didn’t reflect my taste; I just sort of shot out of a cannon.”Outside of Game of Thrones, which was her breakout role, Emilia Clarke’s movies and shows include Solo: A Star Wars Story, the romantic drama Me Before You, and the romantic comedy Last Christmas, the sci-fi film The Pod Generation, the Marvel Cinematic Universe series Secret Invasion, and the animated movie The Twits were released. She also starred in a stage production of The Seagull in London.
Clarke’s new role as a spy
For the first time since “Game of Thrones” ended in 2019, Emilia Clarke is playing the lead in a television series. In the Cold War-era drama “Ponies,” which begins airing Thursday (January 15, 2026) on OTT, Clarke stars as Bea, the wife of an intelligence agent who abruptly becomes a spy herself. Go to Source
