Emilia Clarke Reflects on Emmy Loss, Salary Rumors, Health

Emilia Clarke, the actress best known for portraying Daenerys Targaryen in HBO's "Game of Thrones," has reflected on her career journey, addressing Emmy losses, salary rumors, and her health struggles while expressing a newfound gratitude for the series that defined her early career. Clarke discussed these topics in a recent interview.

The actress revealed that not winning an Emmy for her role was a significant disappointment. She recalled feeling after the awards ceremony that the phenomenon surrounding the show had passed and she was now "old news." The next morning, she said she realized she needed to redefine her personal idea of success, acknowledging she had held a juvenile perspective.

Clarke also directly addressed persistent rumors about cast salaries, stating that reports of actors earning close to $300,000 per episode were wildly exaggerated. She clarified that she did not earn that much, though the financial security from the show allowed her to pay off her parents' mortgage. Regarding her experience on the series, she described the creators, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, as geniuses but noted she had no creative input into her character beyond her performance. She...