Game of Thrones' Emilia Clarke still queasy over raw horse's heart shoot

Written by . Published: July 17 2017

Actress Emilia Clarke still gags at the thought of having to eat a fake horse's heart for a scene in hit fantasy drama Game Of Thrones, because it tasted like "bleach and raw pasta".


The British beauty had to bite into what was depicted as a raw stallion's heart for her TV role as Daenerys Targaryen in the first season of the show - in a bid to ensure her character's unborn child would be born strong and healthy.

Emilia recalls having to force herself to chew almost 30 of the bloody props during the gruesome shoot, and although they were made with edible ingredients, the 30-year-old struggled to stomach them.

"It was very helpful to be given something so truly disgusting to eat, so there wasn't much acting required," she laughed to The Mirror.

"They (prop masters) made the heart out of solidified jam, but it tasted like bleach and raw pasta. I ate roughly 28 hearts throughout the days we filmed that scene. Fortunately, they gave me a spit bucket because I was vomiting in it quite often."

Emilia reprises her role as Daenerys, the Mother of Dragons, for the seventh season of the show, which premiered in the U.S. on Sunday (16Jul17), and with producers planning to wrap up the series next year (18), the actress has started to contemplate her next career move - and she would love to put her talents to the test in a stage musical.

"I want to continue working in theater - I love performing in front of an audience. Even a musical," she said.

"I'm probably going to make my fair share of good and bad choices, but fate and luck are all part of the game," Emilia added. "At the moment I just get so excited arriving at the Thrones set each day. It's like beginning another great adventure."

Emilia, who made her Broadway debut as Holly Golightly in a 2013 production of Breakfast at Tiffany's, will be keeping busy before returning to Game of Thrones to shoot the final eighth season as she is currently filming the upcoming Han Solo Star Wars spin-off movie with Woody Harrelson, Donald Glover, Thandie Newton, and Alden Ehrenreich, who will portray the young titular character.