LOS ANGELES, CA – SEPTEMBER 22: Emilia Clarke attends the 71st Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 22, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Dan MacMedan/WireImage)

Game of Thrones made stars of its cast members, and perhaps none more emphatically than Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen, the white-haired, steel-nerved queen who became more and more powerful — and ruthless — as the series went on. 

Watching Clarke play Dany, or Khaleesi as she was also known, was a masterclass in feminism, a woman wholly aware of her own power and unmoved by any detractors.

Speaking to Stellar magazine, Clarke said she couldn’t but gain confidence through playing the character.

“Oh my goodness, she taught me about lady balls. She taught me what it feels like to be in a room and be heard. She wielded such power, calmness and such poise,” she said.

“She had a fierce intensity and made some incredibly tough choices. In season three, she had to start busting some balls, and as a 25-year-old standing in front of 500 extras, 150 crew members, six cameras, a drone, dragons and fire, I had to bring it.”

And bring it she did. Who could forget this scene in “Book of the Stranger” (episode 4, season six) where Dany escapes her Dothraki captors then stands before them naked and triumphant while burning their house down? (Clarke, famously, did not use a body double for the scene).

You can see how some of that Khaleesi boldness might have rubbed off on Clarke, too.

Wearing a plunging Valentino dress to the Emmys this year, Clarke said she was channelling J-Lo. Clarke’s overall vibe is a little more demure than that but she was obviously feeling herself, as she should have been.

Her next role will be as Kate in the British rom-com Last Christmas. Kate is one of those eternally unlucky types who accepts a job as an elf in a department store over the Christmas holidays. She’s also recovering from a life-threatening illness. Then she meets Tom (Henry Golding) and her life changes dramatically overnight.

The movie is due to land in cinemas in early November and co-stars Michelle Yeoh and Emma Thompson, who co-wrote the film with award-winning playwright Bryony Kimmings. It also features the music of George Michael, including the greatest Christmas song of the past 35 years.

You can watch the trailer here.

It looks….ok? Perhaps not as hilarious as we might expect from Bridesmaids director Paul Feig, though, and at first glance, it’s no Love Actually. We can understand why some British press might be speculating that Tom is actually a ghost, too, which might somehow elevate the whole thing.

Hey, at least the soundtrack’s going to be good.