Emily Carey isn't the first celebrity to be forced to delete social media after getting fed up with a wholly unnecessary backlash, and sadly, we don't think she'll be the last either. The actor, who plays Alicent Hightower in the highly-anticipated Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon, told News.com.au in an interview published earlier this week that she had to delete her Twitter account due to the nasty, often thoughtless, vitriol that she received in retaliation to her comments at San Diego Comic-Con.
Carey spoke about at her role at the recent convention - a yearly event where comics fans, creators, and experts congregate to attend panels, go to parties, and participate in discussions that are all centered on some aspect of comics - admitting that she felt her character Alicent was more nuanced than some fans would have liked.
“There were some gaps that we had to fill, so to figure it all out I sort of started journaling, and… managed to come up with some form of backstory, and it proved to be very useful. I’ve never had the freedom to create a whole human being like this before. So it was so much fun being able to go so in-depth with her.
Now this is what you call a powerhouse roll call.
“There are so many layers to her. I think lots of people are already expecting her to be the villain of the show, but I think bringing her in younger, there was a lot more to explore,” she had said.
Her comments sparked outrage among die-hard fans of George R R Martin’s books on which the two shows are based.
“I’m 19, so I’m all on social media, and I’ve been on social media since I was a kid because I’ve worked since I was a kid, so I’m very conscious of things,” Carey told the Australian outlet. “Any hate that comes in, it’s just … It’s a person behind a screen. You just have to move on from it.”
“But I will say I did delete Twitter [after Comic-Con] because it’s just so loud. Even when it’s good, there’s so many and it’s so loud,” she added. “I love the buzz, don’t get me wrong, but sometimes it can be overwhelming, and that’s me being completely transparent.”
The Iron Throne has never looked so good.
News.com.au notes that, at the time of the backlash, Carey wrote a since-deleted tweet that read: “I stand by what I said in the panel. Alicent is not the villain, folks. When we meet her she’s a child, a product of the patriarchy. Just you wait and see. Maybe you’ll sympathise.”
House of the Dragon, which started streaming on Disney+ Hotstar from last Monday, follows the history of House Targaryen set 172 years before the birth of Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) and the events that unfolded in Game of Thrones.
Emily Carey, we're sad to see you go from Twitter but excited to see you on our small screens for another instalment come Monday.
“I have no shame in talking about it.”
