Emilia Clarke gained global recognition for her iconic portrayal of Daenerys Targaryen from the iconic Game of Thrones (GOT) series. From her introduction as an exiled princess to becoming a symbol of strength and resilience as Mother of Dragons, her character had a major development in the series.
But her real-life story completely embodies her GOT character, as the actress got candid about her battle with brain aneurysms back in 2019. In an old interview, she reflected on how she overcame that life-threatening ordeal by speaking Dothraki from the HBO series.
Emilia Clarke Spoke Dothraki While Suffering from Brain Aneurysms
The Game of Thrones series has attained global acclaim among audiences and critics alike, leading to a dedicated fanbase that continues to make the Westeros spirit alive. Thanks to its fame, the cast members also witnessed a significant boost in their career including Emilia Clarke, who became a crucial part of the show.
Given that her character represents the strong will and resilience, that helped her elevate her persona as the Mother of Dragons, she implemented the same in her real life.
During a 2019 appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Clarke reflected on experiencing a major health scare as she had to undergo two surgeries while filming the series.
Talking about that experience, she shared,
The easy way of describing it is that it’s the worst headache that a human could possibly manage to experience. It was pretty intense. I genuinely knew I was being brain damaged. I don’t know how.
To battle with her brain aneurysms, she added that she even recited Dothraki lines she had memorized for the HBO series.
[I] moved my fingers, toes, my hands, asked myself questions, Dothraki lines. [I was] really trying to force my memory to stay conscious.
When the host asked her how she knew to perform the exercises, she referenced a line from the show, stating,
The mind is an extraordinary thing. I just knew that I was … not today.
Later in the interview, she further reflected on her brain aneurysm battle, admitting that her near-fatal experience left her feeling “petrified” for a while but she eventually realized how “lucky” she is to be still alive.
Emilia Clarke Got Candid About What She Felt After Her First Injury
The Daenerys Targaryen actress has since reflected on her time while going through a difficult period of her life. In an interview with The Big Issue, she delved into the timelines of her brain aneurysms, stating that her first brain injury, occurred in 2011.
It was the time when she was filming between the first and second seasons. Since it required surgery, she felt that her career would probably be affected because of it.
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.
She was deeply concerned that the producers might think she was incapable of continuing with her job.
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?
Apart from worrying about her job security, she was also consumed with the thoughts of her medical scare returning once again, this time on the set. Her fear somehow turned true as she suffered another brain aneurysm in 2013, and underwent a second surgery.
Despite her battles in real life, she continued to put on a brave face to bring Daenerys Targaryen to life, who became an iconic figure in television history. Her impeccable portrayal is not only a testament to her talent but it also gave her strength to be like the Mother of Dragons in real life, by accepting her vulnerability and bringing out her true will to follow what she felt right.
The Game of Thrones is available on Max.
