This Game of Thrones Star Pleads with Fans to Stop Requesting Selfies from Her

Way of LifeMarch 17, 2020

If you’re yet to take a selfie with Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, then you are unfortunately out of luck.

And if you’re not a Game of Thrones fan, we’re talking about Emilia Clarke, the actress who played Daenerys Targaryen in the motion pictures adaptation of George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire book series.

Emilia portrayed Daenerys Targaryen perfectly

In a recent podcast interview, the actress pleaded with fans to avoid requesting for selfies with her, at least for the time being.

Self-Preservation

It may seem like such a harsh stand for an actress of her stature to make, but Emilia Clarke is doing it in the spirit of self-preservation. Celebrities are human after all, aren’t they?

Propelling this decision was a fan who approached her, oblivious to her panic attack. As she explained it, she was at an unnamed airport when the attack hit her. She believes it was brought by exhaustion, and she literally couldn’t breathe.

The attack hit during a call to her mom, and while she was explaining that she was out of breath, a guy approached her asking to take a picture.

While there’s nothing wrong with requesting a celebrity for a selfie, it was definitely not the best time for the actress. She politely declined, then concentrated on fighting her personal battle.

Luckily, she snapped out of it. However, the fan encounter had her thinking of similar occurrences she’d had, and to be frank, it had become too much. Something had to be done, hence the current stand.

All the same, the Mother of Dragons is still very welcome to signing autographs, although she insists that fans must request for them appropriately. You don’t expect to get into someone’s face demanding for their signature and get it, do you?

The actress is still very welcome to signing autographs

Meaningful Experience

When fans are polite, Emilia admits that she enjoys interacting with them. Exchanging small talk with people who appreciate you for your exploits is meaningful, and the actress genuinely loves the experience.

Compared to taking selfies, the 33-year-old would rather sign stuff all day, every day. As she puts it, she rarely has a conversation with fans who request for a picture. They approach her, say hi, take the selfie and get on their way.

How long do you reckon that takes? A few seconds at most. Wouldn’t this leave you feeling like you’re a prized possession people want to show off? Something akin to an item on a museum wall? And this is exactly Emilia Clarke’s point.

In asking for an autograph though, the actress can take her sweet time with the fan in question. She loves the personal touch of it all, especially because it is a give-and-take affair. Both fan and star benefit from this, as opposed to the selfie situation where only the fan walks away feeling satisfied.

If you’re wondering what Emilia has been up to ever since she destroyed King’s Landing and met her demise a few months ago, it is nothing as dramatic as that.

Emilia Clarke in character as Kate in 2019’s Last Christmas

Daenerys may be resting with her Fire and Blood ancestors, but Emilia is doing her thing on the big screen. Her most recent project happens to be Last Christmas where she shares the stage with Henry Golding. Since hitting the theatres in November, the movie has grossed $100 million and counting.