Actress Sophie Turner blames Game of Thrones castmate Emilia Clarke for #CoffeeGate. In the Game of Thrones season 8 episode “The Last of the Starks,” a modern-looking coffee cup shows up in a post-battle sequence. The HBO series is set in the fictional land of Westeros.
On Game of Thrones, Turner portrays Sansa Stark, one of the primary characters. In the series’ eighth and final season, Sansa’s family not only fights in The Great War against the Night King and the Army of the Dead, but also against long-time enemies within Westeros. Game of Thrones season 8 premiered on April 14, and teased one of the most highly-anticipated episodes in television history. “The Long Night,” – the third episode of Game of Thrones season 8 – features the longest battle sequence in the history of film or television. In the follow-up episode, “The Last of the Starks,” the surviving characters celebrate at Winterfell. On social media, it didn’t take long for viewers to point out that a coffee cup survived the final cut. HBO has since digitally removed the object from the Game of Thrones episode.
On The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Turner discussed Games of Thrones’ coffee drama and deflected the blame to Clarke, who portrays Daenerys Targaryen – another main character. During the late night talk show appearance, Turner discussed her recent marriage to musician Joe Jonas, her upcoming movie Dark Phoenix, and Game of Thrones’ final two episodes – which will air on May 12 and May 19. Early on, a “fan” (Jonas) appears in a pre-recorded clip, and states “you’re definitely responsible for the coffee cup, right?” Turner then raises one hand and declares “Let’s clear this up!” She addresses Fallon’s evidence and ultimately names Clarke as the “culprit,” citing the cup’s proximity to her character Daenerys Targaryen. Turner also discusses the casts’ text message reaction to #CoffeeGate. Watch the full clip below – the coffee conversation begins at 2:05.
When Game of Thrones premiered in April 2011, Turner was barely 15 years old. Since then, Sansa Stark has arguably experienced the most transformative character arc, and Turner has acted in some of the series’ most controversial sequences. Once Game of Thrones concludes, the English actress will reach the next phase of her career by reprising her role as Jean Grey in the franchise film Dark Phoenix. Turner portrays the title character, who struggles with two separate personalities.
For some Game of Thrones fans, #CoffeeGate is representative of numerous season 8 problems. For others, it’s merely a simple mistake that doesn’t detract from the series as a whole. But if another coffee cup shows up in the final two episodes, or any type of continuity or factual errors occur, fans may be extra critical of Game of Thrones season 8, and how showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss approached the final episodes.
