Emilia Clarke Says Daenerys Doesn't Care That She and Jon Are Related on 'Game of Thrones'

The last time Game of Thrones fans saw the Targaryen lovebirds, their relationship was on the rocks. Toward the end of the latest episode, "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms," Jon Snow tells Daenerys Targaryen the shocking news of his true lineage right before they head into the biggest battle they've ever seen. Learning your lover is really your nephew? Not the ideal news you want to hear right before you die. But Game of Thrones characters apparently just love spilling major tea in the crypts.

Being the son of Daenerys's older brother Rhaegar makes Jon the rightful heir to the Iron Throne, something his new lover has been fighting for throughout the entire show (and, as her character notes, her entire life). The news definitely shocked Dany, and her first reaction was to go into full defense mode. She focused on the one thing that has gotten her this far: her fight for the throne. Many viewers were surprised she instantly questioned if Jon's sources were reliable, instead of reacting to the fact that she has been sleeping with her nephew. For fans, this is of a huge no-no—even if we've seen Cersei and Jaime Lannister do the same for the past eight seasons. Yet for Daenerys, it's apparently no big deal.

Actor Emilia Clarke recently defended her character's reaction, reiterating that the throne is the one thing Daenerys has wanted from the very beginning.

"The related thing, to her, is so normal," Clarke told Entertainment Weekly. "She could have easily married her brother. It's not a thing. It's a thing for Jon, but let's just forget about that. The main thing is we're up for the same promotion and I've been working for it for my entire existence."

For Clarke, Dany's reaction to the truth was simply in her nature. She's so close to achieving her goal, and now it's in danger of being ripped away from her.

"This is my whole existence," Clarke continued. "Since birth! Dany literally was brought into this world going: RUN! These f***ers [in Westeros] have f***ed everything up. Now it's, 'You're our only hope.' There's so much she's taken on in her duty in life to rectify. There's so much she's seen and witnessed and been through and lost and suffered and hurt to get here … and Jon doesn't even want it!"

What Daenerys will do with this new knowledge is anyone's guess, but we have a feeling she won't be thinking about it too much as she fights to stay alive in the coming battle against the White Walkers.

This article also appears on Mental Floss.