Emilia Clarke Says She Feared Dying ‘on Live TV’ amid Brain Surgeries: 'It Alters Your Sense of Self'

• Emilia Clarke said she was worried about being fired Game of Thrones in the midst of her brain injury
• The actress operated on two aneurysms in 2011 and 2013
• “Well, if I’m going to die, I’d better die on live TV,” Clarke said Big problem about her fear that the stress of acting might cause her to suffer a brain hemorrhage again

Emilia Clarke feared that her brain injuries may have spelled the end of her life Game of Thrones — and his own life.

While talking to the British magazine the Big problemClarke, 37 — who played Daenerys Targaryen on the hit HBO series from 2011 to 2019 — discussed her worries about how the two aneurysms she suffered in 2011 and 2013 would affect her career.

“When you have a brain injury, because it changes your sense of self on such a dramatic level, any insecurities you have in the workplace quadruple overnight,” Clarke told the paper.

“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?’ “, she added.

Clarke told the publication that she thought she might suffer another brain bleed due to the stress and pressure of acting in front of so many people. She said she remembers thinking, “Well, if I’m going to die, I’d better die on live TV,” according to the affidavit.

Emilia Clarke in ‘Game of Thrones’.

Courtesy of HBO

Emilia Clarke has learned to love sunscreen because she’s ‘hell bent on never doing crazy things’ to her face

Clarke’s brain injury recovery charity SameYou, which she founded with her mother Jennifer in 2019, has teamed up with Big Issue Recruit, “a specialist recruitment service dedicated to supporting people who face barriers to joining the workforce in a sustainable employment”, according to the website.

“Having a chronic condition that erodes your confidence in this one thing that you see as a reason to live is so debilitating and so lonely,” Clarke told the publication – which raises funds for neglected people in the UK – adding: “One of the biggest things I felt with brain injury were deeply alone. That’s what we’re trying to overcome.”

The Me before you star also spoke of feeling like she “couldn’t go on” amid the brain injury, admitting she was so worried about the future of her acting career that she asked medical staff to let her die, according to the outlet.

“It gave me a superpower,” she said of how she now sees her journey with a brain injury.

Emilia Clarke after becoming a Member of the Order of the British Empire at Windsor Castle on February 21, 2024.

Andrew Matthews – Pool/Getty Images

In 2011, Clarke suffered her first aneurysm, which caused a stroke and subarachnoid hemorrhage, shortly after filming on the first season ended Game of Thrones.

She ended up having brain surgery after falling ill while working out at the gym, the actress wrote in a 2019 essay. The New Yorker. Clarke explained how she couldn’t remember her name two weeks later.

“I suffered from a condition called aphasia, a result of the trauma my brain had suffered,” she said in the candid article.

“In the worst moments, I wanted to pull the plug,” she wrote. “I asked the medical staff to let me die. My job – my whole dream of what my life would be like – was centered on language, on communication. Without it, I was lost.”

Emilia Clarke.

Aaron Chown/PA Images via Getty

‘Game of Thrones’ star Emilia Clarke says she avoids ‘House of Dragons’: ‘It’s too weird’

Clarke’s aphasia ended up being temporary and she was eventually able to speak again. She then underwent another surgery to treat another aneurysm in 2013.

Speaking to PEOPLE in 2021, Clarke said two life-saving brain surgeries helped her realize that true beauty comes from within.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

“Happy moments and being happy is what you’ll see on your deathbed. You won’t remember the time you took that super cute selfie,” she said.

“After the surgery, because I felt so scared and lacking in confidence, I put it all down to my appearance,” Clarke continued. “As I got older, I realized that people are most beautiful when they don’t think about themselves and don’t think about their own beauty.”

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education