"[I was] trying to play a character so finely nuanced that people believe you can be a good person who is also politically savvy," Natalie Dormer said in a 2016 interview with HBO, describing the difficulties she faced bringing Margaery Tyrell's inner conflicts to life. "It's easier to play a nihilistic person or a baddie; ... it's a simpler task to play a straight psychopath. [...] I've tried to make her a plausibly real, sensitive, good human being with the skills of a good leader."
While she could have played Margaery as one note, Dormer instead decided to portray her empathy, kindness, and leadership skills while not ignoring her political motivations. Most "Game of Thrones" fans will agree Dormer was quite successful in this.
And even though Margaery once told her (third) husband Tommen Baratheon she was good at "seeming good," Dormer noted this was meant to influence Tommen rather than reveal some dark secret about herself. "I've always held firm that Margaery's heart is true –- I don't think she has a dark spirit," she added. "She's giving a narrative to Tommen that helps convert him at that moment. Maybe she was able to mix a bit of the truth in there –- that's the most effective kind of lying, isn't it?"
