Emilia Clarke has praised Netflix’s upcoming animated adaptation of Roald Dahl’s The Twits, calling it a film that reflects modern society in a surprisingly relevant way.
The 38-year-old actress, best known for her role as Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones, voices Pippa, the film’s narrator — a quick-witted bed bug who lives in Mr. Twit’s beard and tells the story to her son, Jeremy.
A Classic Story with Modern Meaning
Directed by Phil Johnston, the project marks the first-ever screen adaptation of Dahl’s 1980 classic. The story follows the infamously cruel couple, Mr. and Mrs. Twit, known for their outrageous pranks and mean-spirited behavior. In this new version, their rise to power threatens an entire city, and it falls to two children and a family of magical Muggle-Wumps to stop them.
Johnston has described the film as both a “social satire” and a “big, absurd comedy about the world as I see it now.”
Clarke agrees.
“He’s playing with ideas that we can all relate to as it speaks to the world we live in,” she told PA news agency.
“He gets us to suspend our disbelief long enough to feel the absurdity without being completely lost to the state of the world. As Roald Dahl did, it’s a warning more than giving up.”
Finding the Voice of Pippa
Clarke revealed that her character went through several creative changes during production.
“She started out as a very acerbic, sharp-tongued character with an incredibly dry wit,” Clarke said.
“But over time, we realized she needed to become the voice of calm reasoning — still playful, especially with her son, but not too harsh.”
While some of Pippa’s dry humor remained, Clarke emphasized that the character strikes a careful balance: honest about the Twits’ cruelty, but gentle enough not to frighten her young listener.
“You can tell she has strong opinions about the Twits, but she doesn’t want to scare her son too much… it was so much fun getting to play.”
Roald Dahl’s Legacy, Reimagined
Roald Dahl, who passed away in 1990, remains one of the most beloved children’s authors in literary history, known for creating iconic characters like Matilda, The BFG, and Willy Wonka. With Netflix investing in multiple adaptations of his works, The Twits marks the beginning of a new era of Dahl stories brought to life for modern audiences.
Clarke believes this adaptation carries Dahl’s spirit of sharp humor wrapped in moral reflection.
“As Dahl did so well, it holds up a mirror,” she noted. “It makes us laugh — but it also makes us think.”
Would you like a follow-up feature on how The Twits fits into Netflix’s wider Roald Dahl universe?