‘I Was Nervous’: Emilia Clarke Intimidated Her Marvel Co-Star

Emilia Clarke, best known for her work on Game of Thrones, is finally set to join the MCU in a matter of days as she takes on her role as Gi’ah, the daughter of Talos.

The actress revealed her character has been “hardened” by life, and having Talos as her dad didn’t do her any favors. Clarke also previously explained how Gi’ah will offer a perspective to fans that “straddles both the human and the Skrull side of things.”

The Intimidating Emilia Clarke in the MCU

While talking about her co-stars in Secret Invasion during the Disney+ show’s virtual press conference, Emilia Clarke got an unintentional fun confession out of Ben Mendelsohn: she was quite intimidating to him.

In discussing her fellow cast, Clarke was quick to bring up Mendelsohn, noting how she “love[s] working with [him]:”

“I love him. I just love Ben [Mendelsohn]. I love working with Ben. It was so much fun. It was really easy, because obviously we’re playing… I mean, there’s tension all over the shop, but there is obviously a deep familiarity, and shorthand, and knowledge of each other that it’s just so easy and free acting with Ben that it felt… It was just gorgeous. We just had a giggle, didn’t we? We had a good time.”

In response, Mendelsohn confirmed his enjoyment of their work while adding that he “was very intimidated too.”

Clarke wasn’t buying Mendelsohn’s claim and exclaimed, “No, you weren’t!”

The actor stood his ground, sharing that he “watched that GOT (Game of Thrones) thing four times:”

“No, no, no, for real! Because– you don’t understand. I’ve watched that GOT thing four times, like, bang, bang, cover-to-cover. I was kind of like, I was nervous, right? I was. And I didn’t know what to expect. And then you made meals and I was just like… And we had to sit by a lake with a lot of ducks, a lot of planes.”

Mendelsohn went on to joke that those ducks and planes are “gonna add up to something:”

“And that’s it. That’s the only spoiler you get from me. Those ducks and those planes. They are gonna add up to something.”

Both Clarke and Mendelsohn Are Pop Culture Legends

Sometimes it’s easy to forget celebrities are exposed to the same pop culture as everyone else. While Ben Mendelsohn might have been in the acting game for a long while, that doesn’t make him immune to a little bit of starstruck-ness—especially since it was Emilia Clarke herself.

When it comes to big pop culture phenomena, both also took part in major Star Wars projects. Sadly, the two never crossed paths.

Clarke played Qi’ra in Solo, while Mendelsohn portrayed the menacing Orson Krennic in Rogue One. While neither character is confirmed to be returning any time soon, both could easily return at any moment.

Qi’ra was expected to play a role towards the end of The Book of Boba Fett, so any continuation could bring her back into the fray. As for Orson Krennic, it seems likely he’ll make some sort of appearance for Andor’s second season.

In the meantime, both actors have their hands full, navigating the rocky waters of the Skrull invasion.

Secret Invasion lands on Disney+ on June 21.