Game of Thrones: How the series redefined female roles on television

Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones. Photo / Supplied

From the very first season, when creators David Benioff and Dan Weiss killed off their biggest star Sean Bean, it became clear they weren't following the usual rules of television.

Time and time again, they floored viewers with their bold and often brutally violent plot twists, while at the same time, quietly redefining how we see women on screen.

"Right from the word go, there's been no division between male and female character influence," explains Iain Glen, who plays Ser Jorah Mormont, devoted protector and supporter of Daenerys Targaryen.

"They could all be equally empowered – or not – within the politics of the world. They could all be a force for good or a force for evil, there was no sex division, which was fantastic.

"What was empowering about it, I think, was that there was no distinction made in this world, which was great."

For younger actors like Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams, it's only now – eight years on - they've come to realise how unusual the show was when it came to female characters.

"Now it's really hard to find something like that anywhere else," says 22-year-old Turner. "The film and TV industry isn't friendly to women who aren't between the ages of 15 and 22."

One actor who had experienced the full force of that unfriendliness was Gwendoline Christie, who was 32 when she was cast in the series.

"I was really disappointed with the lack of opportunities for women in entertainment... It felt like there was a homogenised view of women, which wasn't representative of a global reality.

"And I felt a deep frustration with that. I found it really deeply limited and didn't feel the best stories were being generated."

So deep was that sentiment that after reading George R. R. Martin's books, she was convinced they would be rewritten for the small screen.

"There were viewpoints of the men and viewpoints of the women and I thought 'of course, they'll cut all the female viewpoints and just make them in service of the male characters because that's what happens'.

"But they didn't do that. They preserved those viewpoints. The reason I was desperate to be in the show was that there was a character being presented that transcended the female presentation that we were used to in mainstream entertainment."

Listen to The Worst Game of Thrones Podcast in the World:

Listen to "Ep Nine - Recapping the Long Awaited Final Season" on Spreaker.

For Christie, who in person radiates an absolute elegance and grace, that meant setting her vanity aside to become the physically imposing Brienne of Tarth.

At 191cm tall, Christie relished the chance to examine and redefine femininity, turning the tables on "what society had told me were my weaknesses or my unfortunate points".

"It never stops being entertaining to me that the things people told me I would never be employed for are the very things that have given me this amazing opportunity and a career," she says, before roaring with laughter.

As the Mother of Dragons – and many fans pick to be the last woman standing when it comes to the end of season eight – Clarke is also grateful for such a complex and substantial character.

"She was a slave. She was bought. She experienced abuse and I think that's incredibly important as a storyline for women. We don't just pop out of our mother's stomach going 'hey, I'm going to kick this door down, I'm going to break this f***ing ceiling, I'm going to get through'.

"She very much started off with guidance and people to guide her. And then each season, slowly but surely, she started to make her own mind up and she started to ignore certain things. She started to listen to herself much more."

Listen to The Worst Game of Thrones Podcast in the World:

Listen to "The Worst Game of Thrones Podcast" on Spreaker.

Game of Thrones screens Mondays at 1pm on Sky SoHo and is available the same day on Neon.