Before she was the Mother of Dragons, Emilia Clarke was a broke young actress in London — juggling side jobs, chasing dreams, and nearly missing the audition that would define her career. In a new interview, Clarke admits that she was “too broke to take the train” to her Game of Thrones tryout.
“I borrowed 20 pounds and changed my life,” she says, laughing. “I almost didn’t bother because I couldn’t afford the fare.”
A Chance Almost Lost
It was 2009, and Clarke had just graduated from drama school. Between shifts at a call center and late nights working in pubs, she got a call from her agent about a new HBO series based on fantasy novels. “Game of Thrones? I thought it sounded like a board game,” she jokes.
But Clarke was exhausted — emotionally and financially. With barely £12 left, the cost of a train ticket felt like a wall between her and her future. “I sat there debating if I should skip it,” she recalls.
A friend — another struggling actor — noticed her hesitation and handed her £20. “He said, ‘If you get famous, you can pay me back.’ And I did — with interest.”
The Audition That Changed Television
Clarke arrived late, nervous, and wearing a borrowed dress. Yet, once she began reading lines as Daenerys Targaryen, something ignited inside her. “I felt her pain, her quiet power,” Clarke remembers. “It was like I knew her before I met her.”
Then came the now-legendary moment. A casting director asked her to “lighten the mood.” Clarke’s response? She did the robot dance. “I thought, if I’m going down, I’m going down weird,” she laughs.
Days later, she got the call. The role was hers.
Fire, Fear, and Second Chances
The success that followed came with both triumph and tragedy. Clarke later suffered two brain aneurysms during the show’s production, a struggle she publicly shared in The New Yorker.
“Everything after that felt like borrowed time,” she reflects. “So I made a promise — if I’m ever scared again, I’ll do it anyway. Fear gave me Daenerys.”
The Train That Changed Everything
Today, Clarke’s Daenerys stands as one of the most iconic television characters of all time — a symbol of power, resilience, and rebirth. Yet it all started with one small act of courage and a borrowed £20.
“I almost didn’t take that train,” Clarke says with a grin. “Sometimes I think — maybe the dragons were just waiting for me to get on it.”