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I wasn’t about to hand that in."
Emilia Clarkewasn’t feeling well.
Paul Schiraldi/HBO
It was September 2012.Game of Throneswas filming an intense season 2 scene in a sun-drenched quarry in Croatia.
“Turn us away and we will burn you first!”
Standing in the intense heat, hour after hour, Clarke felt like her skull was baking.
Later, the actress bowed out of a scheduled interview due to heatstroke.
As Clarke cheerfully explained later that week, Oh, the other day?
I just had a bit of a cant cope with the heat moment.
Clarke wouldnt reveal the deeper and far more serious reason for her exhaustion for another eight years.
After filmingThronesseason one, the acclaimedThronesstar had suffered a brain hemorrhage at a gym in London.
I immediately felt as though an elastic band were squeezing my brain,Clarke wrote inThe New Yorker.
Only a few people who worked on the show had any idea what the actress was really going through.
EMILIA CLARKE (Daenerys Targaryen):It was crazy intense.
I spent a lot time just being like: Am I gonna die?
Is that gonna happen on set?
Because that would be really inconvenient.
And with any kind of brain injury it leaves you with a fatigue thats indescribable.
I was trying so hard to keep it under wraps.
BRYAN COGMAN (co-executive producer):Only a very select few people knew about that.
I was completely unaware.
I heard a little bit that she had some problems between seasons, but nothing to that extent.
And I had no clue while we were shooting.
ALAN TAYLOR (director):We were afraid for her.
Shes so brave, because it never affected her commitment to the work.
So they brought in an air-conditioned car for mesorry, planet.
You ask yourself: Is she as safe doing this show as if she was not doing it?
If she was home sitting on her couch?
You would have to tell her no because she would never say no.
They didnt want to work me too hard.
just dont think Im going to f–k up at any moment.
I had the Willy Wonka golden ticket.
I wasnt about to hand that in.
