The Rockets fell to the Warriors Friday in front of a queen from the Game of Thrones and the Queen B. Emilia Clarke, known for her pivotal role of Daenerys Targaryen on HBO’s Game of Thrones, and Beyonce Knowles, known for her pivotal role in our lives, sat courtside as James Harden and Chris Paul were, once again, defeated by the splash brothers. Less than 24 hours later Clarke sat down and spoke to a room full of fans at Comicpalooza about the bittersweet moment.
“Yeah, that was a tough loss,” Clarke said in response to the moderator asking her about the game. “But it was also my first game…and Beyonce was there. That’s Beyonce. She’s pretty much been on every playlist I’ve had for Khalessi.”
The actress paused while sharing a knowing glance with her costar Nathalie Emmanuel, better known for her role as Missandei, before the two broke out into song in unison.
“I mean a Diva is a female version of a hustler!” the two giggled as the crowd broke into applause and laughter.
Clarke in short red hair in stark contrast to the white, flowing tresses of her character and Emmanuel spoke with the crowd about the pathway of their careers and even the Houston weather.
“I love the city but I wasn’t about to deal with the humidity and this weather,” Emmanuel laughed as she pointed at her tightly cornrowed hair. “Curly girls get it.”
The panel, composed only of Clarke, Emmanuel, and a moderator, gave the actresses plenty of opportunity to speak about their characters’ development and, after a lot of prompting from the audience, the two even shared an occurrence that helped to develop their off-screen friendship.
“I was given a costume that was…revealing…and there was…let’s call it a response,” recalled Emmanuel before Clarke jumped in to finish the story.
“I did not take kindly to that response and—— “
“And she’s had my back ever since,” Emanuel chimed back in to a room full of cheers. “Women should be able to wear what they want and not have to deal with that stuff.”
When asked about their favorite characters on Game of Thrones the two named different people for similar reasons.
“It’s incredible to see Arya go from being a little kid to seeing what she accomplishes on the show now,” said Clarke about the fan favorite. “It’s like she’s saying you got me wrong.”
“That’s funny because it’s for those same reasons that I like Sansa,” chuckled Emmanuel.
While the weather on the second day of Comicpalooza wasn’t the most accommodating fans still braved their way through the rain to experience all things pop culture. Attendees went to workshops and took impromptu photo shoots with their favorite characters. Up and coming creators took notes as panelists gave them advice on how to take their content to the next level. In the main ballroom of the George R Brown Convention center Clarke left the crowd with some words to help them along their path.
“It’s a long journey,” she sighed as she reminisced about her start in the business. “It’s a long journey to find your voice and it doesn’t always look how you would think. True patience has been the number one thing that has kept me on this journey. If you can maintain your patience you can accomplish so much in this business.”
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2019.
