Spotlight on Emilia Clarke
The actress talks about showing her softer side in this new romcom
FESTIVE FEELS The actress leaves her character as Mother of Dragons Khaleesi in Game of Thrones far behind with her latest role in the romcom Last Christmas. She plays Kate, an aspiring performer struggling to find her way in London while working as an elf in a Christmas store. After a heart transplant she meets charming, mysterious Tom (Henry Golding), whose kindness and optimism challenges her behaviour. Actress Emma Thompson, a co-writer on the film, joins the cast as Kate’s mom. “It was extraordinary, and getting to play her daughter and to now be her friend is just the most miraculous Christmas gift I could ever ask for,” says Emilia. “She became a mentor of mine and I’m incredibly grateful that she’s in my life,” SMALL BUT STRONG The plot of the film resonated with Emilia as a result of her own health issues. “Delving into Kate as a character became this kind of serendipitous thing that allowed me to explore it within myself and within her.”
In March this year, the 33-year-old revealed she’d survived two brain aneurysms in her twenties. After filming the first season of Game of Thrones in 2011, she experienced a subarachnoid haemorrhage, a life-threatening stroke caused by bleeding around the brain. Two years later, a second aneurysm was found.
“At certain points, I lost all hope. There was terrible anxiety, panic attacks. I was taught to remember there’s always someone who’s worse off than you. But going through this experience for the second time, all hope receded. I felt like a shell of myself. So much so that I now have a hard time remembering those dark days in much detail. My mind has blocked them out.”
CHRISTMAS SPIRIT “I love Christmas,” says Henry Golding (32) who stars opposite Emilia in this feel-good flick. “It’s a time where you’re unselfish. You spend time with your loved ones, your family.”
He says he hopes the film serves as a reminder to check up on loved ones over the holidays. “Sometimes you can impart amazing wisdom; sometimes you just need to make them laugh. I think Tom and myself have that in common.”