Emilia Clarke took inspiration from Cate Blanchett’s ‘Elizabeth’ for her part in ‘Game of Thrones’

Actress Emilia Clarke has revealed that Cate Blanchett’s role in “Elizabeth” was the inspiration behind her character in “Game of Thrones” (GOT).

Clarke essayed the role of Daenerys Targaryen in GOT. “The role of Khaleesi is tall and willowy and blonde, I’m short and round and brown. So they weren’t, like, she can do that role, easy,” Clarke said in an interview with TheWrap. The actress confessed that she felt a little lost before auditioning for the dragon queen’s role.

She had several qualms in her mind before portraying the role of a tall, blonde woman as Clarke has a petite frame and stands at 1.57 meters. She drew inspiration from Blanchett’s “Elizabeth” to get into the skin of her character.

Cate Blanchett in Elizabeth was something she watched a lot in preparation for season one. "The fact that it’s rooted in reality, to know I was able to replica a real, strong female leader," Clarke said. The actress also told that she was raised by a strong mother, who was her inspiration as well as other strong women.

"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," she revealed at TheWrap’s seventh annual Power Women Breakfast.

Tamzin Merchant was originally selected to play Daenerys, according to a report by Huffington Post. However, luck was on Clarke’s side and the role landed in her lap as "Game of Thrones" went in a different direction after the pilot filmed in 2009.

GOT is amongst the most successful television series. This fantasy drama is based on George R. R. Martin's book series “A Song of Ice and Fire.” The series premiered on April 17, 2011 on HBO.

Correction April 1, 2016: The original article erroneously stated that Clarke was a cast member of “Galaxy World of Alisa”, which is not true. The article has been corrected and the reference removed.