Nathalie Emmanuel’s mum had to calm her down over the phone to help her to film an underwater scene. The Game of Thrones actress has feared being submerged in water since she was a youngster so needed the help of her mother when tasked with shooting a particularly difficult subaquatic sequence.
She said: “When I was a kid I had someone jump on top of me when I was in the pool, and I said to myself, ‘Nope, that’s not happening again.’ Then last year I did a film that required me to be at the bottom of a swimming pool. I had to learn how to use a regulator and how to take air without coming up.
“I didn’t quite realise how scared I was, and there was a point where I was crying. My mom helped me calm down over the phone, and the producers were amazing, so I just kept getting better and better. Four weeks later I could be underwater for five to seven minutes at a time.”
While the 28-year-old actress enjoys portraying former slave interpreter Missandei on the popular HBO fantasy series, she has called on script writers to pen more TV shows and films about carers because she doesn’t feel their “voices” are heard enough.
Speaking to Bello Mag, she added: “I would love to see more stories about men, women, or parents who are full-time caregivers – to see all of the sacrifices they have to make. As well as the stories of the people being cared for – people whose voices are not being heard.”
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