Emilia Clarke faced the frightening possibility of losing her role on Game of Thrones — and her life — due to brain injuries.
In an interview with the U.K. magazine The Big Issue, Clarke, now 37, reflected on the impact of the two aneurysms she experienced in 2011 and 2013. Known for her portrayal of Daenerys Targaryen on the hit HBO show from 2011 to 2019, Clarke revealed the depth of her anxieties about her health and career.
“When you suffer a brain injury, it dramatically alters your sense of self, and all your existing insecurities about the workplace amplify overnight,” Clarke said.
Her initial fear was that she might be deemed incapable of continuing her role. "The first fear we all had was: ‘Oh my God, am I going to get fired because they think I’m not capable of completing the job?’ ” she explained.
The stress and pressure of performing in front of large audiences made Clarke fear she might suffer another hemorrhage. She recalled thinking, “Well, if I’m going to die, I better die on live TV.”
In 2019, Clarke and her mother Jennifer launched SameYou, a charity supporting brain injury recovery. They recently partnered with Big Issue Recruit, which aids individuals facing barriers to employment.
“Having a chronic condition that undermines your confidence in the very thing you feel is your life’s purpose is extremely debilitating and isolating,” Clarke told The Big Issue, a publication supporting unhoused people in the U.K. “One of the most profound feelings with a brain injury is loneliness. That is what we’re trying to overcome.”
Clarke candidly shared that her struggles with brain injuries left her feeling like she “couldn’t carry on.” She even asked medical staff to let her die due to her fears about her future in acting.
Reflecting on her journey, Clarke now considers her experience with brain injuries to have given her a "superpower."
Her first aneurysm in 2011 resulted in a stroke and a subarachnoid hemorrhage shortly after she finished filming the first season of Game of Thrones. A severe episode at the gym led to brain surgery, and she later suffered from aphasia, which impaired her ability to speak. Clarke detailed these harrowing experiences in a 2019 essay for The New Yorker, describing how she struggled to remember her name and wished for death during her worst moments.
Fortunately, Clarke's aphasia was temporary, and she regained her ability to speak. She underwent a second surgery in 2013 for another aneurysm.
In a 2021 interview, Clarke reflected on the lessons she learned from her surgeries, emphasizing that true beauty comes from within. She shared that happiness and moments of joy are what one will remember at the end of life, not superficial concerns like selfies.
"After the surgery, because I felt so scared and under-confident, I was putting all of that into how I looked," Clarke said. "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."
The Quran - Chapter Ar-Rahman : 10
He laid out the earth for all beings.
وَالْأَرْضَ وَضَعَهَا لِلْأَنَامِ (And the earth is placed by Him for creatures...55:10). The word 'anam with fatha [=a ] on the first letter on the grammatical measure of سَحَاب sahab, refers to all the creatures that are on the surface of the earth.
Baidawi translates the word as 'everything having a soul'. Evidently, the word 'anam in the verse refers to mankind and the jinn, because only these two species of Allah's creation are obligated to observe the precepts of Shari` ah.
Furthermore, they are addressed throughout the Surah. For instance in the refrain verse فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ (So, [ 0 mankind and Jinn,] which of the bounties of your Lord will you deny?...55:13) The dual second person attached pronouns and the dual forms of the verbs second person sustained throughout Surah Ar-Rahman are addressed to Jinn and mankind.
