Although Emilia Clarke succeeded in surprising her fans several times on the show, her life behind the scenes can be even more surprising.

Many fans of Game of Thrones claim that Emilia Clarke is the only reason they kept watching the show from start to finish. She is internationally known as Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen, the First of Her Name, Queen of the Andals and the First Men, Protector of the Seven Kingdoms, the Mother of Dragons, the Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, the Unburnt, and the Breaker of Chains—a long introduction, but one that is well suited for a game-changer role and an incredible performance that gave the show more weight.

Clarke’s undeniable talent in portraying the character’s traits of valiance, determination, and raw power, along with the director’s help in bringing the best out of her, won her a few nominations and a Saturn award (an American award presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films.) The world knows her mainly through her role as the blonde queen who spits fire when she is angry. It is no surprise that such big roles tend to overshadow the actors behind them.

However, there is a lot more to Clarke, the actress, that can be equally fascinating. Here are ten things you probably did not know about this talented star.

10- Fans Don’t Recognize Her in Public

Despite the wide acclaim that the show, and particularly her role, had received, Clarke is still not recognized by her fans. She reported being completely overlooked by fans when they would approach her co-actors to have a picture with them. She knows this is mainly because of her off-set brown hair that looks nothing like Khaleesi’s light-blond, and carefully braided wig.

Although this is something she speaks about very jokingly, you could feel a little bit of disappointment in her voice—this could be the reason why she tried to get the wig as a token of remembrance from the set but was unfortunately not able to.

But things are slowly changing with Clarke’s performance in several other movies like Me Before You and Terminator Genisys. Through these roles, she is presented to the public with a more natural look that will permit her fans to recognize her better.

9- She Was Bullied for Her Eyebrows

Clarke’s eyebrows can be considered one of her quirks. On several talk shows, she would show off her ability to play with them, shape them and move them in whatever direction she wanted. It is quite fascinating, and fun to watch. They are a prominent feature of her face that she grew to cherish as she grew older. However, she did speak about them being a cause for scorn among her peers and friends when she was younger.

In fact, very few people can get past high school without having a few bullying stories to tell. What matters is that bullying did not stop our beloved actress from having the confidence she needed to audition for the role that brought her unparalleled fame. It is, indeed, true that behind every success story is a chapter of overcoming struggles and finding one’s true power.

8- She Once Did the Funky Chicken Dance in an Audition

Auditions are usually quite serious for actors. They take them to heart and bring their best foot forward in order to land the role. Clarke was no exception. In fact, she took it too seriously that it ended up bringing everyone to hysterical laughter. After saying her lines and displaying her skills in front of the jury, it was time for her to leave the audition room.

However, our determined actress did not know what to do next. So, when she asked, one of the juries jokingly pointed out she should do a dance. Without hesitation, Clarke starts doing the funky-chicken dance movements as it was the only one she knew. This, of course, had no impact on the final decision to bring her in, but it had certainly lightened up the mood and brought some fun into the hectic process.

7- She Worked 6 Regular Jobs

The funky-chicken dance that she did at the audition is not the only thing that reflects the actress’s determination to succeed. She also reported working six regular jobs in order to make ends meet, before landing her once-in-a-lifetime role. This fact might be surprising to most of us; especially when we try to fit the great Mother of Dragons in jobs like waitressing or being a call center agent. Our imagination cannot run that wild.

We might, however, find the fact that she is also a licensed real estate agent a little less hard to believe because of her talents of persuasion and negotiation on the show. So yes, Clark proved that she can be a glamorous actress but also someone who can pay her own bills before becoming a hot-shot actress. And working several jobs at the same time is but a testimony of her work ethic which could also be felt on screen.

No matter what the young actress is going through, she keeps pushing forward.

6- She Had Two Brain Hemorrhages While Filming Game of Thrones

Clarke’s first health crisis happened during Season 1 and then again in Season 3 when she was diagnosed with subarachnoid hemorrhage, which is, simply put, bleeding that occurs in the space surrounding the brain; especially when one or several blood vessels burst out. This condition can have serious lifetime repercussions on the patient.

But luckily, Clarke’s healing went smoothly, and she walked out of it scratch free—a move expected from the Mother of Dragons. Not one single episode during those two seasons when she was struggling with this health condition reflected her crisis. For this alone, Clarke deserves an Oscar for the bravest, most committed actress.

The fascinating part is not that she survived a three-hour-long brain surgery and continued filming without taking a break, but it is also that she did not inform her co-actors about what was happening to her in order to protect their performance and focus. It just seems like our actress does not need dragons to be a hero.

5- Nude Scenes Terrified Her

Nudity in Game of Thrones is very recurrent, even the casual viewer can tell you. And even though it never reflected on their performance, some actors found it hard to reconcile with this particular side of the show. Clarke openly admitted feeling uncomfortable while she was shooting scenes of nudity. She considers that she was pressured into it and that she wanted nothing more than to have some say in which part of her body would be revealed on screen.

Well into the final seasons, Clarke finally put her foot forward and made her boundaries known and respected in that regard.

4- She Speaks Multiple Languages

“Valyrian is my mother tongue.” This was the line said by Clarke in high Valyrian during one of the most memorable scenes of Game of Thrones where she subverts the power of the masters and “takes what is hers”.

This multilingual skill is also an off-screen talent for Clarke. She speaks, although not very fluently, French, Italian, and German. Some studies show that multilingualism is closely connected to better brain development and stronger emotional intelligence. If Clarke seems to have it all onscreen, it’s probably because she really does.

3- She is a Perfect Singer

It’s hard to believe that so many gifts can be condensed into one person. Clarke will tell you it’s possible. The actress has a mesmerizing voice. This hidden talent of hers was revealed in 2019 when she performed in the movie Last Christmas. At first, fans believed it was a playback but lo and behold, it was nothing but one of the actress’s incredible talents. In a beautiful scene full of cheer, she started singing and gave her fans another reason to be the “queen they voted for.”

2- She Has Dragon Tattoos

Game of Thrones is not a show you can easily move on from. Especially not if you spent many years being a part of it and giving it your all. Clarke realized she will always be, in one way or another, the Mother of Dragons. Even though the actress did not ride a real dragon, she built a strong relationship with these fictional creatures who helped to build many aspects of her character.

To each their own when it comes to commemorating events and things that they hold dear; our Game of Thrones star decided to tattoo three dragons on her wrist hoping to take this experience with her wherever she goes. Who can honestly blame her when the idea of dragon tattoos is appealing to so many fans as well?

1- Acting Is Her Childhood Dream Job

We mentioned earlier that Clarke worked several jobs to pay her bills, but the actress never lost sight of her real dream which is acting. In one of her interviews, she mentioned that the idea of becoming an actress was planted in her mind at the age of 3 years old. The beautiful thing to take from this is that she did not let her desire of becoming part of Hollywood become an obsession and result in frustration. She kept a balance between working jobs in order to survive the harsh economy and at the same time, keeping the window to her dream open. Thankfully, it gave enough time for George R. R. Martin to put together the incredible story for the iconic show.

This article gives a quick glance at what the life of the amazing Game of Thrones actress can be like behind the scenes. Knowing these incredible facts about her life can only increase the love and appreciation that she has already earned.

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