It is time to return to Westeros as new Game of Throne spin-off House Of The Dragon is almost upon us. But one person who may have been left with a sour taste in her mouth following the new HBO series premiere is actress Emilia Clarke, 35, who played Daenerys Targaryen in its critically-acclaimed predecessor.
Outrage was sparked across social media when the boss of an Australian TV-subscription company branded Emilia a "short and dumpy girl". Foxtel's CEO Patrick Delany made the controversial comment as he gave a speech on Tuesday at the premiere of HBO's series House of the Dragon. Patrick said: "I was like, 'What’s this show with the short, dumpy girl walking into the fire?'" according to Crikey.
Whilst Emilia herself has yet to respond to the comment, a spokesperson for the Foxtel Group has issued an apology on behalf of Patrick. The statement reads: "The aim was to convey that for him, Games of Thrones was something very different for television in 2011 and that Emilia Clarke went from relatively unknown to one of the most recognised and most-loved actors in television and film. On behalf of Mr Delany, the Foxtel Group apologises if his remarks were misunderstood and caused any offence."
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The comments have been slammed on social media. One person wrote: "CEO of Foxtel Australia calling Emilia Clarke a "short and dumpy girl". Um what?! I can appreciate poor attempts at humour or being misunderstood but I still have a hard time accepting those excuses. Joke or otherwise, just don't comment on women's bodies."
Echoing similar thoughts, another person said: "Another white male making a sexist and derogatory remark that we were supposed to laugh at. Australian television exec has apologized after referring to actor Emilia Clarke as a “short, dumpy girl” at a movie premiere this week."
A third wrote: “Short Dumpy Girl”? WTF???? If the exquisite human being #EmiliaClarke described as that then we truly do live in a #fatfobic world! Shame on you @foxtel and shame on your CEO"
Game of Thrones' new spin-off, House Of The Dragon, premieres on Sunday, August 21 on Sky. The new series chronicles the beginning of the end of the House Targaryen and stars Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen, Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower and Rhys Ifans as Otto Hightower. You can find out everything you need to know about the series here.
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