Emilia Clarke addresses 'Game of Thrones' salary rumours, reflects on surviving brain haemorrhages

Emilia Clarke has opened up about long-running rumours surrounding her Game of Thrones salary while also reflecting on the lasting emotional impact of surviving two life-threatening brain haemorrhages during the HBO series’ run.

In a new interview with Variety, the actress dismissed reports claiming the show’s leading stars earned between $300,000 and $500,000 per episode, joking that the figures had been “wildly exaggerated”. Clarke laughed off the speculation by saying she would have been “driving a couple of Porsches” if the reports had been true.

The actress, who played Daenerys Targaryen throughout the fantasy drama’s eight-season run, also clarified that she was paid equally to her male co-stars and never experienced gender pay disparity on the series.

Salary rumours surrounding the cast have circulated for years, with previous industry reports suggesting Clarke, Kit Harington, Peter Dinklage, Lena Headey and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau were among the show’s highest earners by its later seasons.

Alongside the salary discussion, Clarke reflected on the severe health crises she endured while filming the series. The actress previously revealed she suffered a brain aneurysm shortly after completing Season 1 in 2011, followed by a second haemorrhage in 2013 that required another major surgery.

Speaking candidly about the aftermath, Clarke admitted she became convinced she was “meant to die” after surviving the second haemorrhage. She explained that the trauma left her emotionally disconnected and fearful that every headache signalled another medical emergency.

The actress also described the intense pressure of continuing to work while privately recovering from the medical emergencies, admitting she feared HBO might replace her if producers learned the full extent of her condition.

Despite the ordeal, Clarke remained with Game of Thrones until its controversial 2019 finale and later co-founded the brain injury recovery charity SameYou to support survivors dealing with long-term rehabilitation and emotional isolation.

Online reaction to Clarke’s latest comments has been mixed, with many fans expressing surprise over the salary revelations given the enormous global success of Game of Thrones. Some Reddit users argued the cast should have earned even more by the final seasons due to the show’s cultural dominance.