5 things you didn't know about Emilia Clarke

Emilia Clarke is best known for playing Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones, but there’s a lot more to her story. She grew up in Berkshire, England, and was surrounded by theater early on because her dad worked as a sound engineer.

Before her big break, Clarke worked regular jobs like bartending and telemarketing to make ends meet while trying to land acting roles.

Clarke also has a background in music. She plays the piano, guitar, and flute, which she learned long before stepping into acting. Her family stayed involved in her career, too—her brother worked on Game of Thrones as part of the camera crew.

5 lesser-known things about Emilia Clarke

1) Musical talents

Emilia Clarke (Photo Andrew Matthews - Pool/Getty Images)

Emilia Clarke has a background in music and can play the piano, flute, and guitar. In a 2019 interview with Vanity Fair, she said:

“I used to play the flute. The guitar, I can play really badly. Just lack of patience, I think. If you gave me a guitar now, I wouldn't be able to play it. And then, the piano not really, no. So, if I put that on my CV that was when I was, you know, trying to get a job.”

While she downplayed her skills, music has been part of her life since childhood. Clarke has also mentioned that if she hadn’t pursued acting, she might have tried singing or graphic design instead.

Her musical abilities have even been showcased publicly. She sang in a Dolce & Gabbana commercial, where her performance showed a different side of her talent. Clarke’s connection to music complements her creative work in acting.

2) Early career struggles

Emilia Clarke (Photo by David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images)

Before her rise to fame, Emilia Clarke juggled multiple jobs to support herself while pursuing acting. She worked as a bartender in East London, took on call center duties, and served as a waitress. Reflecting on this period, Clarke said in a 2012 Whatculture interview:

"So either in a bar somewhere in East London or I was doing a call centre job, I was a waitress and an actor! An unemployed actor is what I was doing!"

After graduating from drama school in 2009, Clarke faced a challenging year without acting opportunities. She took on various pub jobs to make ends meet during this time.

Her persistence paid off when she landed a role in the British soap opera Doctors in 2009, marking her first credited television appearance.

In the same interview, Clarke humorously noted that if she hadn't secured her role in Game of Thrones, she would likely still be working in one of her three jobs.

3) Health challenges

Emilia Clarke (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images)

In 2011, after filming the first season of Game of Thrones, Emilia Clarke experienced a sudden, severe headache during a workout. It was due to a subarachnoid hemorrhage caused by a ruptured brain aneurysm. She underwent urgent surgery and later spoke about it in a March 2019 New Yorker interview.

"In my worst moments, I wanted to pull the plug. I asked the medical staff to let me die. My job—my entire dream of what my life would be—centered on language, on communication. Without that, I was lost."

Two years later, in 2013, doctors discovered a second aneurysm requiring another surgery. Reflecting on her recovery, Clarke noted how she felt back then in a July 2022 BBC interview.

"The amount of my brain that is no longer usable — it's remarkable that I am able to speak, sometimes articulately, and live my life completely normally with absolutely no repercussions"

These health challenges deeply affected her, both personally and professionally. She feared the impact on her acting career. Despite these obstacles, Clarke returned to work, portraying Daenerys Targaryen until the series concluded in 2019.

4) Family ties to the entertainment industry

Emilia Clarke's family has deep roots in the entertainment industry. Her father, Peter Clarke, was a theatre sound engineer from Wolverhampton. Emilia's interest in acting began at age three after seeing the musical Show Boat, on which her father worked.

Her older brother, Bennett Clarke, also pursued a career in entertainment, working in the camera department on Game of Thrones. Emilia mentioned this during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in May 2019, noting that his presence on set sometimes led to awkward situations, especially during her more intimate scenes.

She recalled telling him, "There are some days when he’s like, 'Oh, I’ll swing by' because he's literally in the next unit that's, like, filming next door, and I'm like, 'No, it’s good! I'm good. You can stay there.' He's like, 'I just wanted to say hi, I haven't seen you in ages!' And I'm like, 'No.'"

These family connections provided Emilia with a unique perspective on the industry, blending her personal and professional lives. Growing up backstage and later working alongside her brother on a major production enriched her understanding and appreciation of the collaborative efforts behind the scenes.

5) Audition for Game Of Thrones

Emilia Clarke (Photo by Jeff Spicer/Getty Images)

Emilia Clarke's audition for Game of Thrones was anything but typical. After performing her scenes, she asked if there was anything more she could do. Co-creator David Benioff jokingly suggested she dance, leading Clarke to break into the Funky Chicken, followed by the Robot. Clarke spoke about it in a Jimmy Fallon episode in 2014.