Emilia Clarke Teleports to 'Game of Thrones' Time With High Valyrian at Emmys 2026 With Emma D’Arcy

Published 09/14/2026, 11:53 PM EDT

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Emilia Clarke and Emma D'Arcy proved that being fictional relatives comes with surprisingly specific homework, because these two showed up at the Emmys ready to test each other's Valyrian. The ceremony had already delivered its share of jokes and tears, but nobody expected an ancestral language lesson. Fans of a certain dragon-heavy fantasy franchise immediately understood the assignment. What followed turned into pure Targaryen chaos, minus the burning cities.

While the ceremony kept its usual rhythm of speeches and surprises, the next segment decided Westeros deserved a seat at the Emmys too.

Emilia Clarke and Emma D'Arcy bring Targaryen chaos to the Emmys stage

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Emilia Clarke and Emma D'Arcy arrived to present Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, though it briefly felt like a family reunion at Dragonstone.

"And in honour of our shared Targaryen lineage, Emilia is going to address you in High Valyrian, our mother tongue, and I will translate," opened D'Arcy, live on NBC, silver hair apparently optional.

Clarke then unleashed a full paragraph of High Valyrian with the confidence of someone who has genuinely commanded dragons before.

D'Arcy's translation landed as a gloriously deadpan, "Uh, yeah, that's good evening," proving Valyrian apparently has no efficient word for small talk.

Credits: Ollie Upton/HBO)

Sally Field ultimately won the award for Remarkably Bright Creatures, beating out Claire Danes, Carey Mulligan, Sarah Pidgeon, and Sarah Snook, none of whom share a drop of Targaryen b****. D'Arcy had already set the tone earlier by calling Clarke her great-great-great-great-really-great-granddaughter, which is either sweet family lore or an awkward Thanksgiving. David Benioff got caught on camera reacting from the crowd, presumably relieved nobody demanded a Season 8 rewrite. The bit is still circulating live on Peacock, NBC's official streamer, dragons and all.

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While the Emmys let her relive dragon-queen glory, Clarke's real life has involved far fewer dragons and far more exaggerated headlines.

Emilia Clarke laughs off wild Game of Thrones salary rumors

Emilia Clarke has spent years denying reports that the cast of Game of Thrones earned close to three hundred thousand dollars per episode, joking she would have owned several Porsches by now if that were true. What she actually got was enough stability to pay off her parents' mortgage, which is objectively cooler than a dragon anyway. Fame, however, arrived with none of the swagger her on-screen queen carried into battle.

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Sudden global recognition left her overwhelmed for a while, especially after losing her Emmy bid three times before the finale even aired. That stretch pushed her to rethink what success actually looked like once the applause quieted down. From that difficult chapter to this year's High Valyrian reunion with Emma D'Arcy, Clarke has clearly found her own way back into the spotlight, on her own terms.

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What are your thoughts on Emilia Clarke and Emma D'Arcy's Valyrian reunion at the Emmys? Let us know in the comments.

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Shraddha Priyadarshi

2113 articles

Shraddha is a content chameleon with 3 years of experience, expertly juggling entertainment and non-entertainment writing, from scriptwriting to reporting. Having a portfolio of over 2,000 articles, she has covered everything from Hollywood’s glitzy drama to the latest pop culture trends. With a knack for telling stories that keep readers hooked, Shraddha thrives on dissecting celebrity scandals and cultural moments.

Edited By: Itti Mahajan

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