Emilia Clarke - ‘I’m A Bad Celebrity’
From How To Fail With Elizabeth Day by Elizabeth Day and Sony Music Entertainment
May 13, 2026 · 55 min · Season 20 · Episode 163
About this episode
Emilia Clarke discusses her journey from fame to personal struggles, including health issues and the impact of loss.
Emilia Clarke is the Emmy‑nominated actor who became a global cultural icon as Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones, a role that catapulted her from fresh drama‑school graduate to one of the most recognisable faces on the planet. Since then she’s starred in everything from Me Before You to Solo: A Star Wars Story, won acclaim on the West End and now leads Ponies, a Cold War spy thriller she also produces. In this episode, we talk about her childhood love of acting, the imposter syndrome that followed early fame, her failure to master mathematics, the terror and denial surrounding her aneurysms, the shattering grief of losing her Dad, the joy of female friendships and…yes, ok…Game Of Thrones. ✨ IN THIS EPISODE: 00:00 Cheating Death Opener 00:14 Emilia Clarke Intro 02:54 Ponies And Friendship 03:39 Learning Russian Lines 06:45 Why Acting Means Failure 08:33 Failing At Maths 11:44 Early Acting Spark 14:10 Losing Her Dad 21:09 Failure At Recovery 24:30 Aneurysm In The Gym 27:10 Misdiagnosed Stroke Scare 28:01 Second Aneurysm 29:25 Surgery Goes Wrong 31:37 Relearning and Emotional Shutdown 33:30 Back to Work Too Soon 35:43 Recovery Without Grace 37:40 Healing and New Diagnoses 40:12…
People in this episode
Host: Elizabeth Day
Guest: Emilia Clarke
Topics covered
- acting
- fame
- personal struggles
- health issues
- grief
- friendship
- celebrity
Keywords
- Emilia Clarke
- Game of Thrones
- acting
- imposter syndrome
- aneurysm
- grief
- celebrity
- friendship
- failure
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Game of Thrones, Me Before You, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Ponies
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