Breakfast at Emilia's

Tough enough to command a nomadic army on television, Emilia Clarke is ready to conquer broadway in a role more in keeping with her sweet nature (and true hair color).

BEST KNOWN AS DAENERYS Targaryen, the strong flaxen-haired dragon-warrior queen on the HBO medieval-fantasy series Game of Thrones (Season 3 begins Mar. 31), 26-year-old British actress Emilia Clarke is, in reality, a mild-mannered, 5-foot-3-inch brunette. And she’s every bit the quintessential diminutive ingenue as she makes her Broadway debut this month playing vivacious yet vulnerable good-time girl Holly Golightly in a stage adaptation of Truman Capote’s classic novella, Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

“One of the things I love about Holly is that she finds her way in life by coming to New York, and I’m getting to see New York through her eyes,” says Clarke. “This is my first time in New York as a grown-up. I used to visit some of my mom’s family here when I was a kid, but during the show, I’m living here and I love it. As a Londoner, I like to walk, and I am so happy to be someplace I can do that. I get out when I can and explore places like the West Village and SoHo. In fact, I think when I have to leave New York after the play is over, there’s going to be a lot of kicking and screaming.”

Being able to spend time in the city is just one of many reasons Clarke is thrilled to tackle this iconic role. “I started doing television [Triassic Attack, Syfy, 2010] right out of drama school, so this is my first chance to really get back on the stage,” she says. “I’m so grateful that Game of Thrones has become so popular that it’s given me the opportunity to not only get back to my stage roots, but also take on a dream role like Holly. And for any actor, Broadway is like Mecca. It’s so glamorous. So, it’s a huge deal for me to be here.”

Still, following in the footsteps of Audrey Hepburn, who created the role of Holly in the legendary 1961 film version of the iconic New York City tale Breakfast of Tiffany’s, isn’t an easy task, admits Clarke. “Of course, it’s a daunting prospect. Growing up, I was very aware of the movie, but I purposely haven’t watched it since I knew the show was a possibility. However, Richard Greenberg, the playwright, has really gone back to the original novella, so it’s a very different angle on Holly than the movie.”

Unlike the beloved movie, the play is set during World War II and is far more faithful to Capote’s original conception of Holly, who is escaping from her difficult past in the South. “I’m enjoying getting to explore her Southern roots,” says Clarke. “A lot of my research has been looking into what it would have been like to grow up during the Great Depression in the American South. I think where she comes from says a lot about who she becomes. While she has a lot of heart and spirit, she’s also an incredibly broken person. And I am completely excited to take on all of this.”

As Clarke acknowledges, a behind-the-scenes drama nearly cancelled her Broadway debut before it even began; a major investor in the show pulled out at the very last minute. The day before rehearsals were to start, the cast was told that the show was possibly being put on hold. “It was incredibly nerve-racking to say the least,” she says. “Getting that call was a shock to the system. I had already put my heart and soul into the show and was sure it was going to happen. But, in the end, something good came out of it, in that it really bonded us as a cast before rehearsals even started.”

To say Clarke takes her work seriously is a bit of an understatement. Getting to spend time with friends and loved ones—including actor-director and recent Oscar host Seth MacFarlane, with whom she’s been romantically linked—or indulging her passion for fashion always takes a backseat to her job. “I am just one of those indulgent actors who, when I do something like Breakfast at Tiffany’s or Game of Thrones, it’s really all I think about,” she says. “The rest of my life gets thrown to the side. My friends know that for three months they might not hear from me. The good thing about doing a play, though, is that anyone who wants to see me will have to come see the show, or they won’t see me at all.”