Featured Image Credit: Getty Images/Danielle Venturelli/CBS Sunday Morning
Topics: Celebrity, Emilia Clarke, Game of Thrones, Health
Gerrard Kaonga
Topics: Celebrity, Emilia Clarke, Game of Thrones, Health
Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke has opened up about her fears of dying while filming her iconic role for the show.
Regardless of how it ended (the less spoken about the final few seasons the better) Game of Thrones is still one of the best TV shows ever put to screen.
A good reason for this is the brilliant casting and wonderful performances from multiple actors.
Clarke, 37, who played Daenerys Targaryen, was key to the fantasy drama's success, starring in it from the very first season until the end.
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However, in a new interview, she has opened up about the excruciating health issues she suffered off screen that left her fearful for her life and her job.
Speaking to the Big Issue, Clarke reflected on her two life-threatening brain hemorrhages which unfolded in 2011 and 2013 when she was filming for the hit HBO show.
The 37-year-old previously described the 'excruciating pain' she suffered as a result of the brain injuries, which caused repeated vomiting and left her trying to stay conscious and maintain her brain function.
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“When you have a brain injury, because it alters your sense of self on such a dramatic level, all of the insecurities you have going into the workplace quadruple overnight,” Clarke recently told Big Issue.
“The first fear we all had was: ‘Oh my God, am I going to get fired? Am I going to get fired because they think I’m not capable of completing the job?’”
The actor explained how she was worried when she returned to work after her first brain injury that she could actually die while in the role.
She said she remembers thinking: “Well, if I’m going to die, I better die on live TV.”
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As well as fears of death, Clarke said the condition can make her particularly lonely.
She continued: “Having a chronic condition that diminishes your confidence in this one thing you feel is your reason to live is so debilitating and so lonely.
“One of the biggest things I felt with a brain injury was profoundly alone. That is what we’re trying to overcome.”
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In a particularly dark moment, Clarke told medical staff to let her die because she felt she 'couldn’t carry on' after a brain injury as she thought she would never act again.
However, since then she has gone on to thrive and said ‘it has given [her] a superpower’ and she hopes to inspire other people with difficult brain injuries.
After recovering from her injuries, Clarke and her mom Jennifer set up the SameYou charity to help people with brain injuries.