Game of Thrones actor Nathalie Emmanuel responds to controversial Missandei death scene
The actor explained that her character’s demise sparked important conversations about how characters of colour are treated on TV
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Game of Thrones actor Nathalie Emmanuel has finally addressed the backlash to the brutal demise of her fan-favourite character Missandei, saying that it opened up important discussion about how actors of colour are treated in television, and demonstrated what happens when on-screen representation is so minimal.
Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, Emmanuel said that she understood why fans reacted with such disappointment when Missandei was executed early into the show’s polarising final season, particularly as she was one of just two characters of colour with prominent roles on the show.
“When you have the token characters – I don’t think they tokenise us in the usual sense – but when you have one or two characters, people who are used to being othered or of a minority background, [viewers] will look for the closest thing to them, and I think so many people are so rooting and invested in those two characters,” Emmanuel explained. “And then specifically women and women of colour [identified with] Missandei, so I expected the reaction to that, but I wasn’t quite prepared for the size of the reaction and, like, very prominent people were writing about it.”
She concluded, “I was kind of excited that that conversation was being had. But it’s something we can learn from going forward, about how we cast things, especially because it was a fantasy series. There’s fantasy, there’s so much more possibility. And … that way, if you try to cast as inclusively as possible, when the only one goes or is no longer in the show, there’s not so much of a heartbreak, because you feel represented throughout, as opposed to by just one person.”
Emmanuel was speaking at a press conference for her latest role: a TV reboot of the beloved British comedy Four Weddings and a Funeral, which is being produced by Mindy Kaling.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments