Emilia Clarke, who plays Daenerys Targaryen in the hit HBO drama series "Game of Thrones (GoT)," wanted to showcase a different side to herself as an actor through her role as the happy and free-spirited Louisa (Lou) Clark in the newly released romantic drama "Me Before You."
In an interview with Metro, the 29-year-old Clarke said that doing the romantic film was a "change of pace" from her character as the no-nonsense mother of dragons in GoT or from her role as freedom fighter Sarah Connor in the sci-fi action movie "Terminator Genisys." According to the actress, she liked playing the part of Lou as it allowed her to be seen as an actress in a different dimension compared to the characters that she is currently known for.
In this film adaptation of the Jojo Moyes bestseller, Clarke plays a happy, colorful, relaxed, warm, sensitive and devoted caretaker who falls in love with her paraplegic ward, Will Traynor, portrayed by Sam Claflin. Clarke noted that her own personality is very close to that of Lou's, including the fact that she makes many gestures and facial expressions and that she talks a lot, thus making her feel more in her natural element while doing the film.
In fact, in an earlier talk with Channel24, the actress said she did not fight tooth-and-nail to play Lou and that everything was just effortless for her on the set as she is not different off-camera, including being a "clumsy idiot." She also stressed that in real life, she is very different from how she is known on-screen, referring to her roles as the serious ball-breaking Khaleesi and Queen of the Andals in GoT and the badass action heroine in "Terminator Genisys."
When asked about whether she is looking for any kind of special project in the future, especially now that she has plenty on her plate, Clarke told Metro that she is not forcing anything specific. She said her goal as an actor is to express her strength and her creativity and to push herself in all directions by doing as many different things as she possibly can.