Emilia Clarke says she feared not only for her life, but her job on Game of Thrones after her brain aneurysms in 2011 and 2013. The 37-year-old actress recently sat down with Big Issue to talk about her career and her health and revealed that as she portrayed Daenerys Targaryen in the critically acclaimed series, she worried she might get fired due to her health issues. "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," Clarke told the outlet, discussing the hemorrhages that occurred between seasons.
She continued, "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?'" The actress, who portrayed the "Mother of Dragons" from 2011 to 2019 when the series ended, shared that as her aneurysms occurred between seasons, she pushed herself to recover quickly, returning to work mere weeks after her first hemorrhage. Despite living in constant fear of dying from another brain injury and dealing with the immense stress and pressure of the show resting on her shoulders -- Clarke was one of a handful of top-billed cast members -- she decided to continue filming. "Well, if I’m going to die, I better die on live TV," she shared of her mindset while recovering on the set of GOT .
For the goal-oriented artist, having something to return to was crucial, she has previously .