Emilia Clarke Opens Up About Her Deepest Regret — And It’s Not What You Think

Emilia Clarke’s name is forever etched into television history thanks to her portrayal of Daenerys Targaryen, the fierce Mother of Dragons, in HBO’s blockbuster series Game of Thrones. But while Clarke’s journey through Westeros brought her global fame, Emmy nominations, and a legion of devoted fans, there’s one surprisingly simple regret she carries to this day: not taking a single memento from the iconic set.

Clarke has spoken candidly in interviews over the years about her wistful longing for a tangible piece of her Game of Thrones experience. Despite spending nearly a decade inhabiting one of television’s most legendary characters, she walked away from the show without so much as a dragon scale, a lock of Daenerys’ trademark platinum hair, or even a pair of the “smelly socks” she often joked about. In a 2019 conversation with Variety, she admitted she wishes she’d pocketed a dragon—or at least something that would let her hold onto those memories a little longer.

This sense of missed opportunity is especially poignant given how much Game of Thrones meant to Clarke, both professionally and personally. The series was more than a career breakthrough: it saw her through challenges including two life-threatening brain aneurysms, and forged bonds with cast and crew that remain strong today. The longing for a keepsake, then, isn’t just about memorabilia—it’s about commemorating a transformative era in her life.

Though some outlets, like Far Out Magazine, have touched on other minor regrets—such as she and co-star Kit Harington’s tongue-in-cheek references to “stupid action movies”—these pale in comparison to the consistent refrain about her souvenir-less exit from Westeros. Fan speculation on forums like Reddit has sometimes pointed to regrets over Daenerys’ controversial ending, but Clarke herself has never directly voiced dissatisfaction with her character’s fate.

In the end, Clarke’s biggest regret is refreshingly human: the ache of wishing she’d kept a physical token from the set that shaped her life. It’s a sentiment many can relate to—the realization, only when a chapter closes, that we wish we’d grabbed something to remember it by. For Emilia Clarke, the role of Daenerys may have ended, but the memories remain—if only she’d thought to take a dragon home.