WHEN I meet bubbly, effervescent, happy-go-lucky Emilia Clarke, I have no reason to think there’s a secret she’s been hiding for the last eight years.
But shortly after our chat, the London-born actress writes an article for The New Yorker about two life-threatening brain aneurysms she has battled.
The first struck in 2011, shortly after Clarke (32) finished filming the first season of Game Of Thrones, the Northern Ireland-filmed HBO phenomenon that has made her one of the world’s biggest TV stars. She was just 24 at the time.
In the piece, she describes going through two brain surgeries, her painful recovery and complications such as a condition called aphasia, which left her unable to speak properly.
Luckily, the star is now 100 per cent healed and has thrown herself into developing a charity called SameYou, which aims to provide treatment for people recovering from brain injuries and stroke. The fact she managed to keep her health struggles private is impressive when you consider the media attention she has received. When she was cast as young princess (now dragon queen) Daenerys – her breakthrough role – she was fresh out of drama school.
“I was just an innocent kid,” Clarke recalls of first being on the set of Game Of Thrones, a medieval fantasy drama about dynastic wars and mythical conflicts, in case you haven’t heard.
“I had no idea about the industry, I had no idea about myself, I had no idea about what the show was ever going to be, I had no idea about life, I had no idea about anything – and then this show happened.
“And in those 10 years, the most defining parts of my life have happened within the realms of it. I’ve gone from being a kid to a fully fledged grown-up. So saying goodbye to the show is saying goodbye to that part of yourself, I think.”
It’s understandable, then, that recording her final scene as the Mother of Dragons was “deeply emotional”.
“Loads of tears,” the star says emphatically.
Despite talking about crying, she’s still sporting one of her trademark wide-eyed grins. She has a charming sense of humour, too. Discussing how she felt after her last day of filming, she quips: “That was the moment I realised that alcohol can also be a depressant.
“I was kind of nursing a glass of wine going, ‘I don’t know why I’m not getting any happier from this’.”
When it comes to what’s in store in the much-anticipated final season of the show, a global hit that has brought countless fans to the north to visit set locations, Clarke knows very well not to give anything away. The cast have been sworn to secrecy about the outcome of the drama.
For, although the show is based on the epic novels by George RR Martin, the new episodes continue to feature content that goes beyond the books.
To recap, the last series saw Daenerys, who is determined to retake the Iron Throne of Westeros for herself and finally meet Jon Snow (played by Kit Harington), another of the show’s pivotal, heroic characters.
Jon’s true parentage was also revealed – and it means he has a strong claim to sit on the Iron Throne himself. It also makes Daenerys and Jon nephew and aunt – although the fact the pair were unaware of this made the climax of season seven all the more dramatic.
“Dany and Jon Snow, it’s the most important relationship that either of them has,” suggests Clarke, who has also starred in films such as Me Before You and Solo: A Star Wars Story.
“I think it’s a really, really defining thing for them both.”
As for getting screentime with Harrington?
“He’s one of my best mates, so it’s weird,” she says.
“You put us in a room together and we just giggle. Just non-stop giggling. So there were times when we were like, ’We’ll be grown up about this, and really serious’ and then we would do the scene and be like, ‘OK, now we can just...’” (at this point, she starts giggling again).
One reason why Daenerys has become such a loved character is she’s the epitome of a strong woman forging her own path.
“‘Strong female protagonist’ is a much more hot topic than it ever was before,” affirms Clarke.
“But for Daenerys, the thing that hopefully we’ll get to is she’s just a really interesting character, regardless of what her gender is. She was a slave who was sold into slavery and is now a legit player for being the most powerful person in a show.”
It will definitely be difficult for her to say goodbye to the role, Clarke admits.
She flashes a tattoo on her right wrist featuring three flying dragons, which she got last year to honour her connection to the character.
How would she like ‘Dany’ to be remembered by other people?
“Oh my goodness...” She pauses.
“For giving it her best shot?
I don’t know... She’s going to be ‘the one with the dragons’, but I would love for it to be ‘she’s the one who [went from] rags to riches in terms of what she, as a human being, was capable of achieving’.”
There are people the world over who worship Daenerys – you only need to look at social media on Halloween to see how many fancy dress choices she’s inspired.
Madonna is included in that: in 2014, she wore one of Clarke’s actual costumes from the show to celebrate the Jewish festival Purim. Clarke calls this fandom “deeply flattering and incredibly weird”, adding: “It’s just something you can’t comprehend.”
She doesn’t think she will ever get used to it either.
“I’m an incredibly optimistic person but when it comes to my work, I’m very pessimistic. So it’s a fickle industry that we are living in, that I’m in, and as an actor you can be up one day and literally that afternoon not be.”
Another lesson she has learnt as her career has gone on? Not to Google herself.
“As a young girl who did some brave things in the first season, what I read was not nice,” she says.
“So, I don’t read anymore, and it makes me much happier. I don’t need anything from it.”
But regardless of what she’s seen online, one thing’s for sure – there are plenty of people rooting for Clarke (and Daenerys).
:: The final series of Game Of Thrones starts today on Sky Atlantic and Now TV.
