Emilia Clarke's range

[Banner Without Brothers]

I feel Emilia is more of a stage actor, stage actors usually aren't too great at on screen acting, she might get better I still think she's better than a lot of other actors on the show

I feel this is a bit of a cop out response tbh. As I explained in post 317 . It did used to be very true that stage actors could struggle on screen. But not in the way that Emilia Clarke seems to be. I don't think it's as true now with the medium of television and cinema having over taken stage plays for a long time now. Someone who has been to drama school would have been trained in both genres. The short version of what I said in 317 is that stage actors tend to exaggerate rather than underplay their parts. I don't think Emilia is over acting her part. Unless you think that she is overplaying the part?

[Adam_Up_Bxtch]

I feel this is a bit of a cop out response tbh. As I explained in post 317 . It did used to be very true that stage actors could struggle on screen. But not in the way that Emilia Clarke seems to be. I don't think it's as true now with the medium of television and cinema having over taken stage plays for a long time now. Someone who has been to drama school would have been trained in both genres. The short version of what I said in 317 is that stage actors tend to exaggerate rather than underplay their parts. I don't think Emilia is over acting her part. Unless you think that she is overplaying the part?

She isn't overplaying or underacting, she's playing the part how I expect her to, she's a Queen and Queen's are suppose to be prim and proper and not overly emotional. She may not be on the Iron Throne(yet ;)) but she is still ruling over cities, so her acting is what I expect I guess others(most of the people in this thread) didn't expect it and that's why they don't think she is good.

Season 1: 14-year old exiled Targaryen, living in her Brother's shadow

Season 4: A Queen with her own army and Dragons

of course the way she acts is changing because her character is

[Banner Without Brothers]

I think it may be a combination of not great writing for the character. Her scenes getting cut. We don't know how much of her scenes get left on the cutting room floor. And the character being aged up. I think Book Dany starts at 13 or just 13 and show Dany starts at 15 turning 16. Perhaps the fact that the character is older attributes to some of the changes from the book i.e. less self doubt more confidence.

But my point in my last post was that I don't think it's true to blame it on her having a background mainly on stage.

[Adam_Up_Bxtch]

I think it may be a combination of not great writing for the character. Her scenes getting cut. We don't know how much of her scenes get left on the cutting room floor. And the character being aged up. I think Book Dany starts at 13 or just 13 and show Dany starts at 15 turning 16. Perhaps the fact that the character is older attributes to some of the changes from the book i.e. less self doubt more confidence.

But my point in my last post was that I don't think it's true to blame it on her having a background mainly on stage.

yeah she had like one scene in the last episode I don't even think it lasted 10 minutes

[iknownothingjonsnow]

I actually don't think she's that bad, people are just expecting one thing from her while she gives something different...

Exactly right.

People are expecting her to not be absolutely horrible, and she's giving us something quite different than that...

[Banner Without Brothers]

yeah she had like one scene in the last episode I don't even think it lasted 10 minutes

Yeah I think the Tower of the Hand review sums it up quite well.

"Speaking of things nobody cares about, Daenerys has a council meeting in Meereen this week. A council meeting? Really? In a brand new council chamber? My excitement, truly, cannot be contained (although, sarcasm aside, the new set, presumably the interior of the Great Pyramid, actually looks really good). The scene was wonderfully entertaining, if you're one of the legions of people who can, apparently, only be entertained when they're bitching about Emilia Clarke. Seriously, folks, there's not much you can do when Jorah Mormont is projectile-vomiting exposition in every direction and your solitary scene is completely devoted to the process of deciding not to do anything. If the Meereen storyline stays true to the books, Clarke is in for a rough year. Here's hoping Xaro Xhoan Daxos manages to scratch his way out of that vault."

http://towerofthehand.com/blog/2014/05/08-review-first-of-his-name/index.html

I wonder if that was written after reading this thread :lol:

[cmm426]

I wonder if she intentionally seems a bit wooden? I imagine that might very well be how a insecure young girl acts who has been saddled with the responsibilty for thousands of Unsullied and tens of thousnds of freed slaves and who is desperately trying to seem regal and self assured all the time.

I agree, seems intentional. Its almost like she is holding everything in, trying to be a "Queen," and hiding her emotions. It is like she is constantly trying to figure out what to do.

[PatrickStormborn]

As for Emilia, I'm not a fan of her acting abilities, but I have to give her some slack. With lines D&D keep writing for the character, no actress would shine. Just look at the ending scene of this season's episode three, when Meereen's champion comes out to challenge hers. The guys starts pulling his equipment out to take a leak, and she asks:

"What is he doing?"

What is he doing??!! Well, take a wild guess, sister! He is: A) about to send a raven; B ) flirting with Jorah; C) insulting your army by pissing in your direction. Take your time, khaleesi!

I have to quote this just because I'm glad someone finally mentioned that particular moment. It's so disappointing, especially compared to what she thought in the book:

They are pissing on slaves, to show how little they fear us ... They would never dare such a thing if it were a Dothraki khalasar outside their gates.

I understand it's difficult to portray Dany on screen considering that she's so introverted, but the writers sometimes make it look like she's not even thinking at all.

[Theda Baratheon]

I have to quote this just because I'm glad someone finally mentioned that particular moment. It's so disappointing, especially compared to what she thought in the book:

I understand it's difficult to portray Dany on screen considering that she's so introverted, but the writers sometimes make it look like she's not even thinking at all.

It was definitely a Legolas ''so shit sherlock'' moment.

[iknownothingjonsnow]

I have to quote this just because I'm glad someone finally mentioned that particular moment. It's so disappointing, especially compared to what she thought in the book:

I understand it's difficult to portray Dany on screen considering that she's so introverted, but the writers sometimes make it look like she's not even thinking at all.

It's a fair point that Emilia's material isn't great, but the sequence with the hero's willy is a good example of her being asked to do very little (play the "feed") and still managing to come up short. Failing at playing the "straight man" is a pretty poor argument for deserving the part of the "comic".

I honestly wonder if the fuss made over Sean Bean in Season 1 hasn't adversely affected some of the younger actors on the show. After hearing so much about emoting coming from "behind the eyes" I feel like Emilia (in particular) is trying (and failing miserably) to emulate a more minimalist approach. There was a period where Maisie had a similar affliction but she seems to have found her way out of it.

It's a fine line between brilliance and failure, and unfortunately Emilia has been on the wrong side of it almost exclusively since those eggs hatched.

[Theda Baratheon]

I do not think she's as terrible as a lot of people say at all, my only concern is the overtly badass stoic queen act this season and parts of last season and that it's not going to work with some of the drama that is to come. If and when she nails later material I'll be happy.

[Mark Antony]

Honestly she was well above average in seasons 1&3. Yes shes been a bit inconsistent but I think She'll be fine if given proper material

[iknownothingjonsnow]

Honestly she was well above average in seasons 1&3. Yes shes been a bit inconsistent but I think She'll be fine if given proper material

I honestly don't see the slightest difference between her performance in Season 3 versus 4. If all she can do is "wooden, emotionless b*tch" and it's up to the writers to make that 100% of her scenes, I don't see how she can be considered anything less than a abject failure as an actress.

[Theda Baratheon]

But she was so completely different in season 1, she was unsure of herself, frightened, wistful etc. She's not a 'failure' as an actress, but she and the writers/directors do need to come up with some material to illicit a much different response from her soon otherwise she's in danger of appearing stale.

[Mark Antony]

She can do more than "wooden emotionless bitch"

[Miodrag]

I understand it's difficult to portray Dany on screen considering that she's so introverted, but the writers sometimes make it look like she's not even thinking at all.

Exactly. And it happens too damn often in this show, with all the characters. For half the time, I couldn't really tell what is going through the heads of those characters I'm watching, if anything goes at all. An example from another thread, about Craster's: what can possibly go through Locke's head while he's making his "plan" to capture Bran? How is anyone to play that part with any believability and credibility? I mean, possibly the most important part of acting is to get into the head of a character you're playing. But seriously, how is anyone to go into the head of TV Locke in last episode?! Now, Emilia can't be entirely excused like that, because she does have books (and the example you provided does show she can find a lot of help there), but, truth be told, her TV lines are so terrible, I wouldn't be surprised she gave up on trying to understand her part at all. Again, she doesn't fascinate me with her acting abilities, but she's far from the biggest slayer of TV Dany.

[PatrickStormborn]

Exactly. And it happens too damn often in this show, with all the characters. For half the time, I couldn't really tell what is going through the heads of those characters I'm watching, if anything goes at all. An example from another thread, about Craster's: what can possibly go through Locke's head while he's making his "plan" to capture Bran? How is anyone to play that part with any believability and credibility? I mean, possibly the most important part of acting is to get into the head of a character you're playing. But seriously, how is anyone to go into the head of TV Locke in last episode?! Now, Emilia can't be entirely excused like that, because she does have books (and the example you provided does show she can find a lot of help there), but, truth be told, her TV lines are so terrible, I wouldn't be surprised she gave up on trying to understand her part at all. Again, she doesn't fascinate me with her acting abilities, but she's far from the biggest slayer of TV Dany.

It's interesting that Emilia actually has read the books (and is a very big fan of them)... and that's actually evident sometimes, particularly in this episode in her reaction to the news of Yunkai and Astapor. Like book Dany, she's completely unsurprised; her reaction is actually perfect - it looks exactly like she's thinking of Eroeh and the Dothraki who followed her into the Red Waste and perished for it. The problem is that the script doesn't work with this. There's no Eroeh, for example, the perfect symbol of Dany's failure to protect the people she "saves". But that could be avoided by adding a line or two to explain why she's unsurprised. "It appears my liberation of Slaver's Bay isn't going as planned" is just a terrible line, and there's absolutely no excuse for it when there is SO much to work with. They could have had Dany reference her failed attempt to save the Lamb women, the deaths in the Red Waste, or her failure to protect her people in Qarth.

To cut a long argument short: I think Emilia has a good understanding of Daenerys. The problem is that Benioff and Weiss just... don't. Or at least they don't know how to portray her correctly. I mean, before anyone jumps in and attacks me for that assertion, I have to say this: Weiss has been on record as saying that he thinks Dany didn't know what would happen in Drogo's pyre... Apparently her line "I am Daenerys Stormborn, daughter of dragons, bride of dragons, mother of dragons. Don't you see? Don't you SEE?" just wasn't explicit enough for him.

[Miodrag]

To cut a long argument short: I think Emilia has a good understanding of Daenerys. The problem is that Benioff and Weiss just... don't. Or at least they don't know how to portray her correctly. I mean, before anyone jumps in and attacks me for that assertion, I have to say this: Weiss has been on record as saying that he thinks Dany didn't know what would happen in Drogo's pyre... Apparently her line "I am Daenerys Stormborn, daughter of dragons, bride of dragons, mother of dragons. Don't you see? Don't you SEE?" just wasn't explicit enough for him.

Didn't know this. It's very interesting. Practically, it means that the pyre scene in season one was saved by Emilia and Iain Glen: when he tried to persuade her not to enter the pyre, she did look like a woman who knows what she's doing, and after her response he did look like someone who recognized that. That's why the scene worked at the end, if you ask me. Well, at least now we can figure out whom the two of them didn't consult with about that scene.

[Seneti]

This isn't really the thread for this, but I actually liked this change, and I saw it as a positive for Margaery. What's best for Renly is to get an heir, she accepts that he's gay and instead of judging him for it and trying to change him, she accepts it and tries to make it easier for Renly.

We clearly just read the scene in different ways (or I'm misunderstanding your point.)

We've gone off topic with Marg and Loris, regarding Renly.. but I'd like to add that I presumed brother and sister would BOTH be in there, with Loris getting things started and Marg finishing him off, with the overall intent of her getting pregnant. I took her agenda to be one of "ok.. my husband is gay, but we DO need a child.. and fast!!" which is honourable of course. Also, to call her sick would be to forget about the Targaryan's and their antic's through the ages, as well as good old Cersei and Jaime. They're all at it, all deviant.. so let's just sit back and enjoy the show ;)

Agreed. Margaery struck me as utterly pragmatic in that scene, which is in character for the Tyrell family. But different strokes for different folks, I guess. I don't want to derail the thread.

So we're suddenly supposed to accept mediocrity because 'it's her first shot' or something? That's no excuse. For the money she gets paid, and the very rare opportunity she has been given over many other young aspiring actresses, one would assume she would be great for the role.

This. You do the job you're paid for and if you don't do it to the customer's satisfaction, then it doesn't matter whether this was your first day, your last day or the day your dog died.

I honestly wonder if the fuss made over Sean Bean in Season 1 hasn't adversely affected some of the younger actors on the show. After hearing so much about emoting coming from "behind the eyes" I feel like Emilia (in particular) is trying (and failing miserably) to emulate a more minimalist approach. There was a period where Maisie had a similar affliction but she seems to have found her way out of it.

It's a fine line between brilliance and failure, and unfortunately Emilia has been on the wrong side of it almost exclusively since those eggs hatched.

Hm... that's an interesting theory, which I could definitely see as being part of the problem.

[Miodrag]

Partick,

Speaking of D&D's range, and before show-apologists storm here attacking you or me: is there any major character D&D managed to translate from book to screen in a way that undoubtedly means they actually understood that character? At the moment, I can't think of any, truth be told, besides Davos who, while a brilliantly designed character, is brilliant precisely because he's simple and easy to understand - though, that dynamics may change with his ADWD material, and, considering his TV tolerance toward actions against The Seven, it's not D&D didn't try to misunderstand him, too.