Podcast Summary: Emilia Clarke on a Near-Death Experience Scarier than “Game of Thrones”

Podcast: The New Yorker Radio Hour
Host: David Remnick
Guest: Emilia Clarke
Date: March 22, 2019

Overview

In this episode, David Remnick sits down with Emilia Clarke, best known for her role as Daenerys Targaryen in HBO's Game of Thrones, for a revealing conversation about her traumatic near-death experiences with two brain aneurysms. Clarke candidly recounts her harrowing medical ordeal, her decision to keep it secret during the show's meteoric rise, and the enduring physical and psychological scars. The discussion blends moments from her acting career with intensely personal reflection, offering both Game of Thrones fans and newcomers moving insight into resilience, vulnerability, and the burden of secrecy.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Pressure and Camaraderie of Early Game of Thrones (02:11–04:37)

• Clarke describes the chaotic yet exhilarating experience of filming the first season.
• She recounts memorable moments, including accidentally setting herself on fire during the iconic pyre scene, highlighting everyone’s inexperience and excitement.

“Almost every minute of that season was memorable. It never felt polished … everyone was just running on adrenaline and trying to figure it out.”
— Emilia Clarke (02:32)

• Clarke's earnestness as a newcomer led her to take risks on set:

“I set myself alight a little bit.” (03:28)

2. Experiencing a Brain Hemorrhage After Season One (04:41–07:01)

• After filming, Clarke returns to London and suffers a debilitating headache at the gym—later revealed as a brain hemorrhage.
• She describes crawling to the bathroom, being violently ill, and going into “fighter mode” to stay conscious.

“I suddenly get this unbelievable pain that felt very much like an elastic band around my brain. Excruciating...I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that headache like that and throwing up means brain damage.”
— Emilia Clarke (05:00)

• An unknown woman comes to her aid, calls for help, and Clarke is rushed to hospital.

3. Diagnosis and First Surgery (07:10–09:10)

• Doctors diagnose her with bleeding on the brain. Clarke undergoes surgery via the femoral artery.
• The first week after surgery is a blur; she’s uncertain about her prognosis.

4. Aphasia and Emotional Trauma (07:54–09:36)

• Clarke’s most terrifying moment: post-op aphasia, unable to recall her own name.

“My brain was screaming the answer, but I knew that I wasn’t forming the words…It was the scariest thing I’ve ever experienced in my life.”
— Emilia Clarke (08:35)

• For a period, she contemplates not wanting to go on if severe impairment persists.

5. Secrecy and Returning to the Spotlight (09:41–11:25)

• Clarke kept her illness secret from most people on set, fearing she’d lose her role.

“I didn’t want anyone to think I was not capable of doing the job … I just didn’t want to be a bother.”
— Emilia Clarke (10:00)

• Despite being physically and emotionally depleted, she completed the publicity tour for Game of Thrones’ first season—HBO was supportive, making accommodations for her fragile state.

6. Facing a Second Aneurysm and a Near-Fatal Surgery (11:35–15:27)

• Clarke learns she has a second, small aneurysm, which initially poses minimal risk but later grows.
• In New York in 2013, a second minimally invasive surgery is attempted. Complications force an emergency open-brain operation.
• Her parents are told she might die or suffer permanent damage; by a “miracle,” blood flow reroutes, sparing core brain functions.

“They come down and they’re like, ‘we really, really don’t think she’s gonna make it’ ... and then they come down half an hour later and go, ‘woohoo…the major parts of her brain that could have been damaged have not by some miracle.’”
— Emilia Clarke (14:00)

7. Difficult Recovery and Lingering Effects (15:27–17:18)

• Immediate effects include confusion (unable to draw a clock correctly), inability to make eye contact, and extreme emotional volatility.

“I think there’s an innate fear in yourself … If that [your brain] doesn’t work and if that could go wrong again, then what am I, how can I operate?”
— Emilia Clarke (16:21)

8. Reflections on Change and Resilience (17:18–18:12)

• Clarke says the experience didn’t spur her to seize the day impulsively but made her acutely aware of life’s fragility, living daily with a sense of heightened awareness between profound highs (fame, success) and devastating lows (health crises).

“I just feel more aware … of the smorgasbord of things that life has to offer you, be it, you know, dragon riding fame, or life-threatening brain damage.”
— Emilia Clarke (17:32)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I feel like one day I’m just—it’s just gonna come out because I can’t keep it in anymore.” — Emilia Clarke on keeping the Game of Thrones ending secret (01:32)
• “I just remember a little tiny bit of it just went 'poof' and caught … Oh, I’m in the middle of a fire.” — Emilia Clarke, on the Season 1 pyre scene (03:28)
• “I was trying to move every part of my body that I could and trying to … stay present in the moment that was just so much pain.” — Emilia Clarke, recounting her aneurysm at the gym (05:00)
• “Every part of me is … relating to another human being. And in that moment, I felt if I can’t communicate, I don’t know how to do that.” (08:35)
• “I just didn’t want to be a bother.” — Emilia Clarke, explaining why she hid her illness (10:00)
• “It might be her concentration, it might be her peripheral vision, it might be, as I like to joke, her taste in men … but she’s alive.” — Clarke, quoting her doctors post-surgery (14:00)
• “I thought I was gonna die every day. So I just feel more aware … of all that lies in between those two things.” (17:32)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• Intro and Game of Thrones discussion: 00:01–04:37
• First brain hemorrhage and aftermath: 04:41–09:36
• Secrecy and public return: 09:41–11:25
• Second aneurysm and critical surgery: 11:35–15:27
• Recovery, emotional fallout, and coping: 15:27–17:18
• Final reflections on life and transformation: 17:18–18:12

Episode Takeaway: Emilia Clarke’s story is less about the drama of Game of Thrones and more about the fragility and unpredictability of life, told with remarkable humor and candor. Despite her battles off-screen, Clarke’s resilience shines through, offering listeners an inspiring portrait of courage, vulnerability, and the silent struggles that can lie behind public success.