Game of Thrones actor Nathalie Emmanuel responds to controversial Missandei death scene

Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter for all the latest entertainment news and reviews Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Game of Thrones actor Nathalie Emmanuel has finally addressed the backlash to the brutal demise of her fan-favourite character Missandei, saying that it opened up important discussion about how actors of colour are treated in television, and demonstrated what happens when on-screen representation is so minimal. Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, Emmanuel said that she understood why fans reacted with such disappointment when Missandei was executed early into the show’s polarising final season, particularly as she was one of just two characters of colour with prominent roles on the show. “When you have the token characters – I don’t think they tokenise us in the usual sense – but when you have one or two characters, people who are used to being othered or of a minority background, will look for the closest thing to them, and I think so many people are so rooting and invested in those two characters,” Emmanuel explained. And … that way, if you try to cast as inclusively as possible, when the only one goes or is no longer in the show, there’s not so much of a heartbreak, because you feel represented throughout, as opposed to by just one person.” Emmanuel was speaking at a press conference for her latest role: a TV reboot of the beloved British comedy Four Weddings and a Funeral, which is being produced by Mindy Kaling.