As far as appearances go, Emilia Clarke could not be any more different than her on-screen persona Daenerys Targaryen.
"The role of the Khaleesi is tall and willowy and blonde. I'm short and round and brown," Clarke shared with The Wrap.
It was actually English actress Tamzin Merchant, who is both willowy and blonde who first landed the role of Khaleesi, but eventually, Clarke was brought on board.
Clarke could not believe her luck that she got to play Khaleesi, and so she did everything she can just to prepare for her role.
She has already been taught earlier on what it means to be an empowering female, so all she needed to do now was look for more inspirations.
"I was brought up by a very strong mum. So I was brought up not being told there was a difference between men and women," said Clarke. "I never questioned that."
In the end, inspiration came to Clarke in the form of another blonde and willowy female - Cate Blanchett.
"Cate Blanchett in 'Elizabeth,' that was something I watched a lot while preparing for Season 1," Clarke said, since the 1998 movie had a "strong arc" that matched what she wanted to portray.
"And the fact that it was rooted in reality was empowering, to say the least," Clarke added. "I was trying to draw comparison from as many strong women as I could. I was so lucky because there was such a journey in the first season. So I could have it be the put-upon abused naïve child that she was in the beginning and then through each different epic turn of events throughout that first season I was able to harness each strength that came with those events and realize the steeliness I could inhabit as an actress."
Interestingly, "Game of Thrones" author George R.R. Martin actually drew inspiration from Queen Elizabeth's family tree while writing the series.
The battle between the Starks and the Lannisters is believed to draw parallels with the real-life history of the feud between the House of York (white rose) and House of Lancaster (red rose). The characters Bran and Rickon Stark are even believed to be the "Princes in the Tower" who mysteriously met their demise there, while Robert Baratheon can either be Henry IV or Henry V.
But according to Martin, there is "really no one-for-one character-for-character" comparison between his characters and historical figures.
"I like to use history to flavor my fantasy, to add texture and verisimilitude, but simply rewriting history with the names changed has no appeal for me. I prefer to re-imagine it all, and take it in new and unexpected directions," he said.
