A Game Of Thrones Star Fessed Up To Bringing That Infamous Starbucks Cup To Set
Film and television productions are chaotic, whether they are made on a shoestring budget or have all the money in the world at their disposal. You have dozens, if nor hundreds, of people on set always racing against the clock, the weather, the light, the producers breathing down your neck, and so much more that the idea that every single detail about a finished movie or show would be perfect is utter nonsense. With so many moving parts, something is bound to go wrong, and you just have to storm ahead.
In large scale productions, those details are even more granular. You'd think that because of the wealth of resources available that everything would be raked over with a fine-toothed comb, but they are still working under a deadline trying to wrangle thousands of artists and craftspeople's hard work. Occasionally, a small mistake slips through the cracks and makes it into the final project, and an infamous example of this is "Game of Thrones" season 8, episode 4, "The Last of the Starks." In one shot during an extended banquet sequence, a modern day coffee cup from the show's craft services can be seen on the table next to Emilia Clarke's Daenerys Targaryen.
Admittedly, I didn't notice it when I watched the episode, and HBO has subsequently digitally removed the cup from streaming and home video releases. People made their jokes and memes, but at a certain point, I felt it all got far too mean-spirited, using the mistake as a microcosm for a referendum on the show's dipping quality. It also felt tied to Emilia Clarke specifically, which wasn't helpful to the popular reception of her character that final season. As it turns out, Clarke can't be blamed at all for the blunder.
A lurking Varys
A few seats over from Daenerys Targaryen at the head banquet table sits Varys, played by Conleth Hill. Throughout the sequence, Varys does not have much to do outside of capping off Daenerys' exit from the banquet with an ominous, worried look on his face. After all, Varys is always thinking about the good of the realm and is having some second thoughts about whether the Mother of Dragons is the best candidate to shepherd in that good. Back in 2019, Emilia Clarke went on "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon" and revealed that the coffee cup belonged to an absent-minded Conleth Hill:
"We had, like, a party before the Emmys recently. And Conleth, okay, he plays Varys. He was sitting next to me in that scene. He pulls me aside, and he's like, 'Emilia, I've got to tell you something. I've got to tell you something, love. The coffee cup was mine.' It was his. It was Conleth's coffee cup. He said so. He's like, 'I think it was. I'm sorry, darling. I didn't want to say anything because it seemed the heat was very much on you.'"
I never bought that it was Emilia Clarke's coffee because she'd be aware of her belongings in regards to her immediate space. It makes far more sense that someone was milling about over there, set down their cup, and then when it was time to start shooting, forgot they placed it there. Conleth Hill would need to make his way around to the other side of the banquet table to get to his place, so it totally makes sense he left the cup where he was in between takes. Clarke added, "He might have been drunk, but he said it. So I'm gonna take that." So will I.