Emilia Clarke reveals 'mental breakdown' after 'Game of Thrones,' swears off fantasy genre
Emilia Clarke has opened up about the emotional toll of “Game of Thrones,” revealing she suffered a “full mental breakdown” after the hit show came to an end and has no plans to return to the fantasy genre.
The 39-year-old actress rose to global fame as Daenerys Targaryen — also known as the Mother of Dragons — on HBO’s epic fantasy drama, which aired from 2011 to 2019. Spending eight years at the center of one of television’s biggest shows came at a personal cost, with Clarke enduring an extremely intense decade that also included two brain hemorrhages and the death of her father in 2016.
Speaking to The New York Times as part of the press tour for her new Peacock series “Ponies,” Clarke admitted that the COVID-19 pandemic became an unexpected turning point, finally forcing her to stop and reflect.
“It was the first time in my professional life that I stopped,” she said. “I had a full mental breakdown. It was almost as if the timing of the pandemic was bang on...
“It forced me to answer some questions I probably could have put off answering for another 10 years... [During the show] there was never any time to stop and consider the meaning of it. I never had the foresight to think, ‘You’re going want to take a minute.’”
Now, Clarke says she’s stepping away from the genre that defined her career. After years portraying a dragon-riding fantasy icon, she confirmed she’s finished with that chapter of her life.
“You’re highly unlikely to see me get on a dragon, or even in the same frame as a dragon, ever again,” Clarke told the outlet.
Despite her success, Clarke also admitted she was hesitant to take on her latest role as Bea in “Ponies,” citing concerns about the level of long-term “commitment” required.
After years of nonstop pressure, the actress appears focused on protecting her mental health and that means choosing her next moves wisely.
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