Emilia Clarke has revealed that she had a ‘full mental breakdown’ when Game Of Thrones finished as she admitted she’s now done with the fantasy genre.
The actress, 39, who played Daenerys Targaryen in the HBO fantasy series, spoke about the hit show ending after it being such a huge part of her life for nearly a decade.
She said:Â ‘It was the first time in my professional life that I stopped. I had a full mental breakdown. It was almost as if the timing of the pandemic was bang on.’Â
The show aired from 2011 to 2019 and also starred the likes of Sophie Turner, Maisie Williams and Kit Harington.
While speaking with The New York Times, she said that it was only after the show ended that she took the time ‘to realize that I could try and get some autonomy over my choices, my work.Â
‘So much of my career didn’t reflect my taste, I just sort of shot out of a cannon.’
Emilia Clarke has revealed that she had a ‘full mental breakdown’ when Game Of Thrones finished as she admitted she’s now done with the fantasy genre
The actress, 39, who played Daenerys Targaryen in the HBO fantasy series, spoke about the hit show ending after it being such a huge part of her life for nearly a decade
She began playing the role when she was only 22 and it was only her third acting job, meaning she felt she ‘never had time to stop and consider the meaning of it’.Â
She also shared that she is now done with the fantasy genre, saying: ‘You’re highly unlikely to see me get on a dragon, or even in the same frame as a dragon, ever again.’
Last June Emilia told Big Issue she feared being fired from the hit show after she suffered brain hemorrhages.
The star suffered bleeds on her brain in 2011 and 2013, which she said left her ‘altered on a dramatic level.’
She first had a hemorrhage after the first season of Game Of Thrones finished filming, and lost her ability to speak as she nearly slipped into a coma.
The second one left her in need of surgery after scans showed it had doubled in size, and Emilia previously detailed that she is in a ‘really small minority’ of people who have survived and been left with ‘no repercussions.’
She told the magazine, ‘When you have a brain injury, it alters your sense of self on such a dramatic level. All of the insecurities you have going into the workplace quadruple overnight.
‘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 said: ‘It was the first time in my professional life that I stopped. I had a full mental breakdown. It was almost as if the timing of the pandemic was bang on’ (seen in series one)
Emilia has discussed having surgery to restore blood flow, as well as taking medication to relieve the pain.
Her life-saving treatment left her with titanium in place of sections of her skull and scarring.
Emilia is thought to be single currently after last year it was reported that she’d split from her boyfriend Sebastian ‘Bassi’ Fox after four months together.
She had first been spotted with the DJ on a night out back in November 2024, but sources last January claimed the pair decided to go their separate ways.
It’s thought that after going public with their romance, they realised that something ‘wasn’t quite right’ about their relationship, and decided to end things.
A source told The Sun at the time: ‘Emilia and Seb aren’t together anymore. They had a fun time, but something just wasn’t quite right between them.
‘They gave it a good go but, in the end. they realised that perhaps they aren’t the right fit for each other. Â
‘It’s been bruising, but there’s no hard feelings. She has told her mates that they want to try and stay friends.’Â
While speaking with The New York Times, she said that it was only after the show ended that she took the time ‘to realize that I could try and get some autonomy over my choices’
The Daily Mail contacted a representative for Emilia Clarke for further comment at the time.
Bassi found fame with dream-pop band Mt. Wolf – which previously featured in Clash Magazine’s Ones To Watch list.
Clarke’s last public-facing romance was with director/screenwriter Charlie McDowell in 2019.
McDowell went on to marry Emily in Paris star Lily Collins in 2021.
