Five Fast Facts About Game of Thrones Star Emilia Clarke

Emilia Clarke isn’t just famous for playing Daenerys Targaryen on the very popular show Game of Thrones, she is a certifiable movie star. From films like Me Before You and the more recent Solo: A Star Wars Story, Clarke has proven she’ll have a career once GOT wraps in a couple of months. Here are five fast facts about the actress!

1. Almost Not Daenerys
Fans probably can’t see any other actress playing the iconic GoT role, but, Clarke wasn’t actually the first choice for Dany. In the original pilot of the show, Dany was actually played by an actress named Tamzin Merchant. However, the pilot didn’t get great reviews and so they decided to reshoot most of it and recast.

2. Actress and Musician
Clarke is clearly a great actress — she’s been nominated for multiple Emmys, by the way — but she’s also an amazing singer! She can sing a number of different styles of music and she can play the piano, flute, and guitar.

3. Not a Natural Blonde
Daenerys Targaryen is known for being the Mother of Dragons, but she may be best known for her platinum blonde hair, which Clarke rocks in the show. However, when the cameras aren’t rolling, she’s actually a natural brunette.

4. Soapy Beginnings
Believe it or not, Clarke got her first television role on an English soap opera called Doctors back in 2009. She portrayed the character, Saskia Mayer, who clashed with her over-protective father.

5. Life-Threatening Surgery
Fans of GOT were shocked to hear Clarke actually suffered two life-threatening brain aneurysms while filming the first two seasons of the show. Thankfully she had them both treated and is doing OK. The experience led her to create a charity to help young people get access to help after a brain injury and it’s called, SameYou.