Here’s why Game of Thrones‘s Gwendoline Christie submitted her own damn self for an Emmy after HBO didn’t

Update, August 6th, 11 a.m. EDT: Gwendoline Christie spoke out for the first time since her Emmy nomination for Game of Thrones was announced, and she’s paying homage to her character. Soon after the nomination was revealed, The Hollywood Reporter reported that Christie submitted herself for Emmy consideration. Now, in a new interview with The Los Angeles Times, Christie says she did it as a testament to her character, Brienne of Tarth.

“It’s something I find hard to do, like everyone else, but I would like to be in charge of my own destiny,” Christie told The Los Angeles Times. “And I would like to endeavor to give myself opportunities. Particularly when working very hard on something very special and you’ve pushed yourself beyond your limits.

“I truly never expected it to manifest in a nomination and I don’t think anybody else did either. But I just had to do it for me. And I had to do it as a testament to the character and what I feel she represents,” she added.

Honestly, Brienne of Tarth inspires us to push beyond our limits, too, so we’re totally with you, Christie.

When the 2019 Emmy nominations were released Tuesday, July 16th, Game of Thrones shattered records with a massive 32 noms—no big surprise there. What is a surprise is that of those 32 nominations, three were not submitted by parent-company HBO. Alfie Allen, Gwendoline Christie, and Carice van Houten submitted themselves for consideration, and they each landed a nomination.

If that isn’t the best kind of self-love payoff, we don’t know what is.

Allen, who played Theon Greyjoy in the fantasy series, is up against his Game of Thrones costars Peter Dinklage and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau in the Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series category. Christie, who played Brienne of Tarth, joins her costars Lena Headley and the Starks she swore to protect, Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams, in the Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series category. And van Houten, who played Melisandre, was nominated for Best Guest Actress in a Drama Series.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, it’s not uncommon for actors and actresses to pay the $225 entry fee and submit themselves for Emmy consideration. However, it’s rare for these entries to actually earn nominations.

The news sparked so much Twitter love for the three actors, and it maybe gave some answers to what Brienne of Tarth was writing in the Game of Thrones finale.

https://twitter.com/udfredirect/status/1151495293369815042

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gwendoline christie, alfie allen and carice van houten submitting themselves to the emmys bc they know they're worth it even though hbo didn't want to https://t.co/zhr2GVqZ7E

— lucie is seeing loona (@intutyun) July 17, 2019

Imagine your famous pop star sister writes a whole ass song literally named after you about what a stoner jobless loser you are, and then you become one of the best characters on the most popular TV show in the world and get an Emmy nomination for it pic.twitter.com/lqmIKP6XVE

— Jillian Sederholm (@JillianSed) July 16, 2019

HBO confirmed that the company didn’t enter Allen, Christie, or van Houten into the nomination process. With a show this stacked with series regulars and incredible performances, they most likely had to make some tough calls choosing “favorites.”

There are reportedly no hard feelings between the actors and the network. HBO is now showing its support for all the Games of Thrones cast members currently in the running. (This includes Kit Harington and Emilia Clarke, nominated for Best Lead Actor and Best Lead Actress in a Drama Series, respectively.)

We’re so happy that our GoT team flooded the Emmys this year. We can’t wait to see how supportive they are when it’s finally revealed who won each category.

Tune into the Emmys on September 22nd at 8 p.m. EDT to see which GoT star reigns supreme. It turns out the Game of Thrones isn’t actually over, after all.

Originally published July 18th.