Emilia Clarke is looking back on one of the most extraordinary and challenging decades of her life with a new perspective. In a candid interview with Variety, the actress reflected on her rise to global fame as Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones, the pressure of navigating blockbuster franchises, surviving two life-threatening brain hemorrhages, and ultimately learning to redefine what success means to her.
Clarke revealed that one of her lowest professional moments came after the 2019 Emmy Awards. Despite earning her first Lead Actress nomination for Game of Thrones, she lost the award to Jodie Comer and admitted the disappointment affected her deeply.
Looking back, Clarke says she realized she had tied her sense of achievement too closely to awards and external validation. The experience pushed her to rethink her priorities and focus on projects she genuinely enjoys rather than chasing prestige or public approval.
The actress also spoke openly about the devastating health challenges she faced during the height of Game of Thrones’ success. Shortly after filming the first season, Clarke suffered a brain hemorrhage that required emergency surgery. She later experienced a second hemorrhage after Season 3.
For years, she kept her condition private while continuing to work on one of television’s biggest shows. She explained that surviving those experiences left her struggling with survivor’s guilt and a lingering fear that death was somehow “coming back” for her.
In 2019, Clarke publicly shared her story and launched SameYou, a charity focused on improving recovery and aftercare for people living with brain injuries.
The actress also addressed the mixed reception to some of her post-Game of Thrones projects, including Terminator Genisys, Solo: A Star Wars Story, and Marvel’s Secret Invasion. Rather than viewing those outcomes as personal failures, Clarke says she has learned to separate her own experience making a project from how audiences ultimately respond to it.
Today, Clarke says she feels grateful rather than trapped by the legacy of Game of Thrones. While she was famously unhappy with Daenerys’ controversial ending, she now views the series as a life-changing opportunity that shaped her career and personal growth.
With new projects including Ponies, Criminal, and the upcoming indie film Next Life, Clarke says she is finally in a place where success is no longer defined by awards, ratings, or public opinion.
Instead, she measures it by the quality of the experience itself and the people she meets along the way.