Emilia Clarke receives an apology after Australian TV CEO called her a ‘little and chubby girl’ at the House of the Dragon event
Emilia Clarke has received an apology from a spokesman for Foxtel CEO Patrick Delany after he received backlash for calling her a “little and chubby girl” on Tuesday.
After his controversial speech during the premiere of HBO’s highly anticipated series House of the Dragon, Foxtel’s rep explained that the controversial joke was intended to be “self-deprecating.”
“The goal was to convey that Games of Thrones 2011 was something very different for television and that Emilia Clarke went from being relatively unknown to one of the most recognized and loved actresses in television and film,” the announcer explained.
About Time: Emilia Clarke has received an apology from a spokesman for Foxtel CEO Patrick Delany after receiving backlash on Tuesday for calling her a ‘little and chubby girl’; seen in 2021
He continued, “On behalf of Mr. Delany, Foxtel Group apologizes if his comments were misunderstood and caused offense.”
On Tuesday, Delany raised eyebrows for his comments about the 35-year-old star, best known for portraying Daenerys Targaryen on the popular drama Game of Thrones.
“I was like, ‘What’s this show with the little chubby girl who walks into the fire?'” he said, according to Crikey, while recalling the famous scene from season one where Daenerys sees a burning temple enters.
Bizarre: After his controversial speech during the premiere of HBO’s highly anticipated series House of the Dragon, the Foxtel rep explained the controversial joke was “self-deprecating” (seen in 2015)
“There was a little gasp,” said one attendee after Delany made the comment, while another said the crowd was “obviously shocked.”
Foxtel, owned by News Corp, has since issued an apology on behalf of Delany, who has been the company’s CEO and one of its top executives since January 2018.
House of the Dragon focuses on House Targaryen and their reign in Westeros.
Nothing dumpy about her: On Tuesday, Delany raised eyebrows for his comments about the 35-year-old star, who is best known for portraying Daenerys Targaryen in the hit drama Game of Thrones (pictured).
“There was a bit of a gasp,” according to one attendee after Delany made the comment, while another said the crowd was “obviously shocked.”
Emilia will not be reprising her role as Daenerys in the ten-part series, as she is set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones.
Joining the cast are Packed To The Rafters star Ryan Corr and fellow Australian Milly Alcock.
The show also stars Emma D’Arcy as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen, Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon, Oliva Cooke as Alicent Hightower, and Rhys Ifans as Otto Hightower.
Delany said, “I was like, ‘What’s that show with the chubby little girl who walks into the fire?’ while recalling the famous scene (pictured) from season one where Daenerys enters a burning temple