Curiosities
We may not have known much about Emilia Clarke before Game of Thrones, but we certainly want to know more about her life now that she’s one of the most popular actresses ever. She has a bright, cheerful personality and a sense of humour that helps her overcome any issues. For instance, did you know that she had serious health problems during the filming of Game of Thrones? It’s crazy how much she had to endure, all the while performing as Daenerys Targaryen like a real pro. There’s much more we need to find out about this amazing actress. Here are 8 awesome things you didn’t know about Emilia Clarke.
She worked six jobs before GoT
No one really knows how hard it is for most actors before they get that one role that kicks off their career. Emilia Clarke had six jobs before she got the role in Game of Thrones. Just to pay the rent and have food on her table! There was a time she did data entry and actually got fired as it was really hard to do both – auditions and regular jobs. It’s not something she alone experienced – most actors go through same experience!
She could have been in 50 Shades of Grey
Can you imagine Emilia Clarke as Anastasia Steele in the 50 Shades of Grey drama? Well, it appears she got the role, but had to turn it down. Emilia Clarke confesses she really wanted to work with Sam Taylor-Johnson, the director of the movie, but the film had just too much nudity. She wouldn’t be able to say ‘I don’t do it’, because, apparently, she did quite a lot of it in Game of Thrones. Still, she didn’t want to become trapped in that kind of perception of herself as an actress. Once you get that image, it’s hard to be cast as anything else!
She gets starstruck
You may not know it, but Emilia Clarke is a huge Beyoncé fan. In fact, she likes her so much that she was totally starstruck the first time she met Queen B! When the singer complemented her and told that she was a brilliant actress, all Emilia Clarke could do was burst into tears. She was so moved and happy to finally meet Beyoncé, whom she adores very much, that she totally lost her cool. We can’t really blame her, it could happen to anyone (but not everyone’s so lucky).
She loves travelling
Even with the tight filming schedules, Emilia Clarke still finds the time to travel the world. She especially likes Southeast Asian countries like Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. It may be hard to imagine this posh actress travelling with a backpack, but that’s what she loves doing in her spare time! She even went on a retreat to India to spend some time in a calm and spiritual environment with her Game of Thrones co-star Rose Leslie. It must have been a very neat adventure!
She had brain aneurysms during filming GoT
It turns that soon after Emilia Clarke finished filming the first season of Game of Thrones, she experienced a brain aneurysm and had to go to surgery. It happened during a workout session and it got so bad she collapsed right in the bathroom. She was just 24 years old at that time, but that wasn’t the last brain surgery for her. She struggled with lots of pain and fatigue while filming Season 2, and after finishing Season 3 had to undergo another surgery, which took 1 month to recover from. She’s a real fighter!
She wasn’t the original Mother of Dragons
It turns out Tamzin Merchant was first cast as Daenerys Targaryen and even took part in the pilot episode. Apparently something went wrong and the directors had to do a re-cast. That’s when the role went to Emilia Clarke! It’s hard to imagine anyone else in the role of Dany now that she’s so iconic, but that’s the truth. She could’ve been a completely different person.
She wanted to become an actress since she was four
Yes, Emilia Clarke was destined to become an actress as she fell in love with theatre when she was just four years old. Her father worked as a sound designer in the West End, so she got to see the inside out of the glamorous acting world with all its ups and downs. She especially loved the backstage life! She got into her first play in a small school in Oxford when she was around five years old, but froze still when it was time to act. She didn’t utter a word of her lines, but felt very calm and concentrated. She has never been scared of performing on stage ever since.
She’s a huge Schwarzenegger fan
Having watched the first two Terminator movies as a kid, Emilia Clarke became a huge fan of Arnold Schwarzenegger. So, when she got the opportunity to audition for the Terminator Genisys she didn’t even think twice. Emilia Clarke was on cloud nine to star in her favourite movie franchise along her childhood idol! She got into a hardcore workout regime to be in decent shape for the movie, because Sarah Connor was a tough cookie and sported great physique. The actress confessed that Schwarzenegger was an amazing actor and had the most calming presence on set.
