How many times did Emilia Clarke suffer from brain aneurysms? Actress reveals being afraid of losing Game of Thrones role

Emilia Clarke recently opened up about the fear surrounding the two brain aneurysms she suffered and the injuries' consequences for her Game of Thrones (GOT) character, Daenerys Targaryen. On Monday, June 10, 2024, the 37-year-old spoke with U.K. Magazine Big Issue, where she expressed her fear of being fired from GOT.

"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. 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?," Clarke said.

Clarke's hemorrhages occurred between 2011 and 2019, when the HBO series was still ongoing. The actress further told the outlet,

“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.”

---

Emilia Clarke says she feared dying amid two brain surgeries

Emilia Clarke began her career in 2010 by appearing in the television movie Triassic Attack. One year later, she got her career-defining role when she replaced fellow newcomer Tamzin Merchant on Game of Thrones. She played her character, Daenerys Targaryen, throughout all eight seasons of the series.

However, during filming, she went through two brain surgeries, one in 2011 and another in 2013, after suffering brain aneurysms. A brain aneurysm occurs when the wall of a blood vessel in your brain becomes weak and bulges; if ruptured, the consequences could be life-threatening, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

On Monday, Emilia Clarke appeared in an interview with Big Issue to discuss her time filming the hit HBO drama series while suffering from her injuries. The actress discussed a variety of topics, including her fears of being fired if people believed she was no longer capable of playing her role.

Emilia Clarke also told UK Magazine that she was afraid she might suffer another brain hemorrhage because of the stress and pressure of working in front of so many staff and fans.

“Well, if I’m going to die, I better die on live TV," the Me Before You star recalled thinking.

Clarke's first brain aneurysm occurred during the first season of Game of Thrones, which caused a stroke and a subarachnoid hemorrhage. She wrote an essay in 2019 for The New Yorker where she talked about how, at the time, she was unable to remember her name for two years and also suffered from temporary aphasia. In 2021, Clarke further opened up about her two surgeries, saying,

"The happy moments and being happy is what you're going to see on your death bed. You're not going to remember the times when you took that super cute selfie. After the surgery, because I felt so scared and under-confident, I was putting all of that into how I looked. As I got older, I realized that people are at their most beautiful when they're not thinking about themselves and considering their own beauty."

In 2019, Emilia Clarke also founded the brain injury recovery charity SameYou with her mother, Jennifer. The actress has made plans to collaborate with Big Issue Recruit, a "specialist recruitment service dedicated to supporting people who face barriers to joining the workforce into sustainable employment," according to their website. Clarke told the outlet about her vision, saying,

"One of the biggest things I felt with a brain injury was profoundly alone. That is what we’re trying to overcome."

Emilia Clarke has also appeared in other movies and TV shows including, Terminator Genisys, Me Before You, Solo: A Star Wars Story, among others.