CEO Rudely Insults Emilia Clarke at 'House of the Dragon' Premiere

The top executive at the Australian broadcaster Foxtel shocked attendees at the Sydney premiere for House of the Dragon last week when he insulted Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke. Foxtel CEO Patrick Delany called the beloved actress a "short, dumpy girl" when talking about why he didn't start watching Game of Thrones immediately. Foxtel apologized, claiming his remarks were "misunderstood."

During a speech at the premiere, Delany talked about watching Game of Thrones for the first time. "I was like, 'What's this show with the short, dumpy girl walking into the fire?'" Delany said, reports Crikey. Delany was referring to a famous early moment in the series when Clarke's Daenerys Targaryen walked through a fire. Clarke is not involved in House of the Dragon and did not attend the Sydney premiere.

Two attendees told the Australian publication there was a "cold" response to the comment. "It felt like he was expecting us to laugh along but people in the room were obviously shocked by it," one witness told Crikey. "There was a bit of a gasp," another said.

A Foxtel Group spokesperson told Crikey the comments were meant to be "self-deprecating" and lighthearted. "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 recognized and most-loved actors in television and film," the spokesperson said. "On behalf of Mr. Delany, the Foxtel Group apologizes if his remarks were misunderstood and caused any offense."

House of the Dragon is the first Game of Thrones spin-off series to make it air and will debut in the U.S. Sunday on HBO. The series is set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones and is based on George R.R. Martin's 2018 novel Fire & Blood. The ensemble cast features Matt Smith, Paddy Considine, Emma D'Arcy, Rhys Ifans, Olivia Cooke, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, Sonoya Mizuno, Fabien Frankel, and Graham McTavish. The show focuses on the collapse of House Targaryen, leading up to their war of succession, and the "Dance of the Dragons."

As for Clarke, she earned four Emmy nominations for Game of Thrones and has an unknown role in the upcoming Marvel Disney+ series Secret Invasion. She hasn't responded to Delany's comments.