Emilia Clarke doesn’t prefer getting recognized for her Game of Thrones role in public. She has reiterated many times that she would like to lead a life like a normal person. Clarke made a bold move in that regard years ago when she decided to not have security guards protecting her when she was going places.
Clarke played one of the main roles, Daenerys Targaryen, in the epic fantasy series based on George R.R. Martin’s novels. By the eighth and final season of the show, the Secret Invasion actress was one of the highest-paid television performers with a $1 million per episode salary.
Emilia Clarke Made One Choice For Her To Lead A Normal Life
Emilia Clarke rose to the peak of television fame after her Khaleesi role in Game of Thrones. However, she was not big on the fame that came along with it. During an interview with The Guardian, she revealed that fame was a thing that she would never wish upon her worst enemy.
She revealed that the pandemic lockdown came as a blessing since she could walk her dachshund Ted without people recognizing her. She described the time as liberating and added that she could say hello to a few people on the way like a normal person. She shared with The Guardian:
I just didn’t see anyone because I lived on my own. Fame’s the shittest thing in the world and I don’t wish it on my worst enemy. It’s horrible. It forces you to look down all the time. So it was very liberating doing these dog walks on my own being like.
Clarke is doing everything in her capacity to live as close to a normal life as possible. She made a choice not to have any security guards protecting her. She also decided not to avoid going places thinking that she would be recognized. The Star Wars actress shared:
I made a choice many years ago, and I’ve stuck to my guns. I don’t have a security guard, I don’t not go places because I think I’m going to be recognised, I go about my daily life as if it weren’t the case.
With all these bold decisions, Clarke did manage to keep a private life despite her fame. She revealed that she had done plenty that no one knew. She explained how she goes about doing them, “The way I do that is by just doing it. I also am not a very controversial human being, boringly enough.” Interestingly, she is not recognized as often as fans think she is.
Emilia Clarke Was Not Recognized In Public Even With Her Castmates By Her Side
Emilia Clarke revealed to Conan O’Brien that she was not recognized by fans even when she walked with Kit Harington or Gwendoline Christie. She told O’Brien that fans would often ask her to take pictures of them with her co-stars, completely unaware of who she was. Clarke shared with Conan:
I don’t get recognized, truly. I’ll be walking with Kit Harington, who plays Jon Snow, or Gwen [Christie], who plays Brienne of Tarth, and people will be like, ‘Can you take this picture for us?’ And I’m like, ‘Sure! Definitely I can!’
Clarke was only happy to be treated like a normal person. In her defense, O’Brien shared that she looked nothing like Khaleesi in real life. O’Brien shared, “People would say, ‘Oh my god! Who’s that beautiful woman?’. But they might not think you’re the Khaleesi.”
Game of Thrones is currently available to watch on Max.
