Emilia Clarke admits she ‘cried with fear’ when she first read X-rated script

Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke said she “cried with fear” when she first read the script to the blockbuster series, because of her first scenes.

The 39-year-old actress would go on to earn four Primetime Emmy nominations for her role as princess Daenerys Targaryen in the hit fantasy franchise. She, however, admitted to the fear that sunk in shortly after getting cast as Targaryen over just how confronting some scenes would be.

The Mother of Dragons opened up about reading her script for first time in an interview with Variety ahead of their inaugural Power of Women London honourees.

“I just cried with fear,” she recalled.

If fans remember, Targaryen’s first few minutes of screen time involve the warrior princess being disrobed by her on-screen brother. This is before she’s married off to the Dothraki warlord, and we all know of the scenes that follow.

“Can you imagine the terror?” Clarke went on.

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The actress made it clear it wasn’t because she experienced anything bad on set of the HBO series. It was more the idea of a then 23-year-old doing a nude scene in a room full of strangers, how she might feel and whether there was any sensitivity towards that feeling.

“Because I know what it can be,” she explained to the publication. “I’ve experienced lack of care on other jobs, which, I think, could have been prevented with some consideration.”

The star didn’t disclose any further details, but admitted to a “number of occasions” where things didn’t feel right from a “lack of thinking” from a production end. She assured no “bad stuff” happened during the filming of Game of Thrones.

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Clarke continued to play Targaryen across Game of Thrones′ mammoth eight seasons airing between 2011 and 2019. The final season holds the record for HBO’s most-watched season of any series in history.

Elsewhere in the Variety interview, Clarke admitted she spent “a lot of time trying to understand” her new-found global fame and the paycheck that came with it.

Which, apparently was not as much as outlets have reported.

The actress said the main cast’s reported salary of $300,000 per episode was not exactly accurate.

“We didn’t earn that much. Can you imagine? I’d have been driving a couple of Porsches!” she replied to the publication.

The actress was one of five featured honourees at the Variety Power of Women event held earlier this week.

The night recognises the most important and influential women in the UK in entertainment and media.

Clarke took to the stage to deliver an emotional acceptance speech about surviving two brain haemorrhages while celebrating her chosen charity SameYou.

Clarke co-founded the charity alongside her mum, Jennifer Clarke, in 2019 with hopes of helping people access better neuro-rehabilitation care and mental health support.

Clarke herself has suffered two brain haemorrhages, the first in February 2011 when she collapsed during a workout shortly after filming wrapped on season one of Game of Thrones.