Emilia Clarke Reveals That Part Of Her Brain Is Missing
Game of Thrones' star Emilia Clarke has revealed that tragic health issues have affected huge portions of her brain.
Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke shared some sensitive information about her near-fatal battle with two aneurysms. Recalling her health troubles, the British actress expressed gratitude for her recovery since the ordeal caused her to lose part of her brain. “It’s remarkable that I’m able to speak and live my life completely normally with absolutely no repercussions,” she said during an appearance on BBC’s Sunday Morning program. The 35-year-old added that she’s part of a very small minority of people who survived as a relatively large portion of the organ is no longer usable.
Emilia Clarke suffered two life-threatening brain aneurysms while working on Game of Thrones. The first happened in 2011 and the second in 2013. Both medical emergencies required lengthy recovery periods. As such, the actress revealed her difficult situation in a 2019 essay for The New Yorker, with the assurance that she is completely healthy. During the BBC interview, the Broadway star added that the aneurysms (which are essentially strokes) eliminated portions of her brain as revealed by a scan. “It was the most excruciating pain,” she explained. “It was incredibly helpful to have Game of Thrones sweep me up and give me that purpose.”
The actress, who is currently starring in a production of Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull in London’s West End, said she continues to do theater because her memory has always been essential to her acting craft. She also explained that she no longer gives a thought to her dramatic brain mass loss. “It’s the brain you have, so there’s no point in racking your brain as to what might not be there, because what you have is great, and let’s work with that,” the Star Wars alum said.
Check out Emilia Clarke’s full interview below:
Following her recovery, Emilia Clarke created a charity for brain injury and stroke victims called SameYou. The organization aims to broaden neurorehabilitation access for young people after a brain injury or stroke. And in 2019, she co-hosted a YouTube live stream with Irish streamer Jacksepticeye that reportedly raised over $240,000 for the charity. Fans also organized a fundraiser, with the initiative racking up more than $25,000 in just two days. A year later, the actress was presented with the Public Leadership in Neurology Award by the American Brain Foundation for her efforts in raising awareness about neurorehabilitation.
But the interview wasn’t just about her health. Emilia Clarke also took the time to discuss her role in The Seagull which opened on July 6 at the Harold Pinter Theater. The play marks the actress’ West End debut. “The opportunity to play Nina on stage with a lauded, applauded incredible director like Jamie Lloyd has been a kind of profound experience,” she said. The actress added that it’s daring taking such a beloved and well-known play and put it in such a modern, stripped-back, bare format. “It’s why you do theater. It’s so exciting,” she said.
For her next screen role, Emilia Clarke will appear in Secret Invasion for Marvel Studios. It’s still unclear who she will play in the Disney+ show. But there’s been a lot of speculation from comic book fans who think she could be a Skrull or SWORD’s Abigail Brand. The series will be led by Samuel L. Jackson, reprising his role as Nick Fury. He will be joined by Captain Marvel‘s Ben Mendelsohn who returns as Talos, the pseudo-leader of the Skrulls. Cobie Smulders makes a comeback as Maria Hill, the former high-ranking S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who works closely with Fury. Kingsley Ben-Adir stars as the main villain, along with Olivia Colman, Killian Scott, Christopher McDonald, and Carmen Ejogo in undisclosed roles.
