Emilia Clarke became one of the in the world thanks to her . However, that kind of instant global fame apparently left her very little room to steer. Looking back now, 10 years after that, the actress says the first stretch of her career was defined less by choice than by readiness. According to her, when she began on GoT and was asked to do something, she answered with six simple words.
In a new interview with , Clarke reflected on the years after she broke out as Daenerys Targaryen and how her relationship to work has changed since then. The actress is moving into a more deliberate phase, with projects such as the Ponies, Next Life and the When Darkness Loves Us pushing her in different directions. She discussed this in her life and the words she’d share on the Thrones set:
The first ten years of my career weren’t really me making choices. It was just me constantly saying, ‘Yes, what time do I start?’ It took a long time to realize I could make choices.
Those six words say a lot. “Yes, what time do I start?” sounds professional and eager, but also a little dizzying when you remember the scale of what she was saying yes to. Clarke was not just joining another TV show. She was becoming the Mother of Dragons, one of the faces of a series that swallowed pop culture whole. And despite its eighth and final controversial season, it’s a series fans still return to time and again with an .
Clarke Is Choosing More Deliberately Now
That change is clear in how the Secret Invasion star talks about her recent work. She described Ponies as a project she initially thought would be light and fun, only to discover it was one of the most demanding jobs of her career. The series involved six months of filming, learning Russian and producing on the ground. Still, what stood out to her was being treated as a collaborator.
According to the actress, her new Peacock show was the first time she felt genuinely listened to, with her opinions not only heard but acted on. That is a big shift for someone who spent years inside massive franchise machinery.
Her film, Next Life, seems to represent a different kind of freedom. Clarke described the production as chaotic, with financing problems, casting changes and a compressed schedule. But she also called it “heaven” and said the improvisational process gave her a “spiritual awakening.” She even tattooed her character’s name, Ivy, on her forearm. That is not exactly casual workplace feedback.
The larger point is that the post-Thrones chapter for the Daenerys performer is not about chasing the biggest possible thing. It is about following instinct, even when the path is messy. As she explained:
That feels like the right move for someone who is known for such a massive pop culture role. You’re never guaranteed tomorrows work, so, you might as well take on things that “speak to you” as a creative.
Fear Is No Longer Running The Show
One of the most interesting parts of the interview is how the Me Before You lead talks about fear. She said she is now drawn to things that terrify her, including When Darkness Loves Us, which marks her first step into horror. At first, she was scared of the material. Then she found the fear exciting.
That is a very different mindset from the one she described earlier in her career. It’s a shift feels even more meaningful given what she has been through. Clarke survived two life-threatening brain aneurysms in her twenties, the first after filming the first season of Game of Thrones. She also lost her father to cancer. In the interview, she said she has only recently felt far enough away from those experiences to fully understand what they meant then and what they mean now.
Emilia Clarke says she no longer believes art only matters if it hurts. That may be the clearest sign of where she is now. The work can be challenging without being punishing. It can be serious without crushing her. Ten years ago, she was saying yes and asking when to show up. Now, she is choosing the jobs that unsettle, excite and move her.