Even with all the publicity she’s received since Game of Thrones premiered, there are still plenty of fun facts and discoveries to be made about the talented actress Emilia Clarke, a singular talent who still has an extraordinary future ahead of her. Here are just a few of the untold truths about Clarke’s life and career.
Thanks to her starring role in HBO’s massive hit series Game of Thrones, Emilia Clarke has become one of the most recognizable faces on television.
Beyond Game of Thrones, Clarke has appeared in other high-profile roles too, including star turns in films like Solo: A Star Wars Story and Terminator Genisys. So far, her most significant role has certainly been Daenerys Targaryen, otherwise known as Khaleesi and the Mother of Dragons.
Game of Thrones is a notoriously fleshy adventure series, and Emilia Clarke racked up quite a few nude scenes during the show’s first season.
As she told Entertainment Weekly, her life took a turn for the incredibly awkward when she wound up watching one of those nude scenes with her family. Whoops.
Clarke also had no qualms about appearing nude on stage in a production of Breakfast at Tiffany’s, which premiered at New York’s Cort Theater in 2013. Naturally, a big name like Clarke drew huge crowds, including some exceedingly creepy patrons who took photos of Clarke during her nude scenes.
Unfortunately, the show was slammed by critics and closed after only 38 performances. It’s too bad her first theatrical outing was tarnished by weird audience members and bad reviews… but at least now she has a Broadway credit to her name, and there will likely be many more in the future.
After her breakout role on Game of Thrones, Clarke was inundated with film offers, with one big franchise standing out from the pack. Reportedly, Clarke was offered the lead role of Anastasia Steele in Fifty Shades of Grey, the first in a trilogy of theoretically s*** films based on the bestselling series of trashy novels.
Ultimately, Clarke decided to turn down the role, which famously went to Dakota Johnson, who starred alongside British actor Jamie Dornan for the entirety of the series. Keep watching the video to learn the untold truth of Emilia Clarke!
#EmiliaClarke #MotherOfDragons
Instantly recognizable | 0:17
Her naughty first theater role | 0:41
Fifty Shades of “Nope” | 1:55
Some significant ink | 2:58
Her humble beginnings | 3:38
Odd jobs | 4:30
Another Daenerys?! | 5:15
Her unconventional Daenerys audition | 6:08
She suffered a brain aneurysm | 7:02
A terrible tragedy | 8:10
She’s close with castmates | 9:09
Backpacking through India | 10:23