Emilia Clarke has reported that parts of her brain are dysfunctional – brain tissue has died after surviving two aneurysms.
In an interview, the “Game of Thrones” actress spoke of the difficulties of being able to continue filming the fantasy drama at all. “I was in excruciating pain,” the 35-year-old told BBC’s Sunday Morning show. But it helped her a lot that ‘Game of Thrones’ was so successful and received a positive response.
Clarke had to undergo two surgeries, in 2011 and 2013. She is grateful to be able to speak at all – and to lead a normal life. “If you look at the non-functioning brain mass … it’s remarkable that I can still speak articulately at all, without any restriction. I’m part of the really, really, really small group of people who survived that.”
Whenever she sees a scan of her brain, Clarke says she has to laugh: “There’s really a whole piece missing. In an aneurysm, tissue dies immediately if it is deprived of a blood supply for a few seconds. The blood then finds another way. But whatever was neglected there – is gone.”
Clarke’s last big screen role dates back to 2019, Last Christmas, her next role, as voice actress, will be in the 3D children’s film Amazing Maurice. Her operations at that time fell between the “Game of Thrones” filming, she didn’t have to pause at the time – and her fans didn’t notice the drama that threatened to unfold.