7 things you probably didn't know about Emilia Clarke
- Emilia Clarke is an Emmy-nominated, internationally-recognized star.
- The London native's breakthrough role as Daenerys Targaryen in HBO's "Game of Thrones" is just one of many acting jobs she's held.
- There are a few things fans may not already know about the British actress.
- For instance, she called in sick to her catering job to audition for "Game of Thrones." She also turned down a leading role in the "Fifty Shades of Grey" movies.
- Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
While many fans may know Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen from the HBO hit series "Game of Thrones," the star has had a successful acting career outside of the show.
At 32-years old, Clarke's impressive resume includes stints on "Triassic Attack," "Me Before You," and "Solo: A Star Wars Story."
Here are seven things that you may not already know about Clarke.
SEE ALSO: What 7 'Game of Thrones' stars are doing next now that the HBO series has ended
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She once performed on Broadway.
Before becoming a household name for her work on the big (and small) screens, Clarke made her Broadway debut in 2013 as Holly Golightly in "Breakfast at Tiffany's."
Unfortunately, the production suffered low ticket sales and closed after just a month.
She turned down the role of Anastasia Steele in "Fifty Shades of Grey."
Fans raved over Dakota Johnson's take on the lead character in the BDSM drama "Fifty Shades of Grey," but the role almost went to Clarke.
Clarke previously revealed that she turned down the role of Anastasia Steele in the blockbuster film franchise during an interview with Marie Claire. In her cover interview in the July 2015 issue, she admitted that she was afraid of being typecast due to the racy role.
"I really wanted to work with ["Fifty Shades" director] Sam Taylor-Johnson because she's f------ amazing. But there is a huge amount of nudity in the film," she told the publication.
"I'll never say, 'I'm never doing nudity' because I've already done it, but I thought I might get stuck in a pigeonhole that I would have struggled to get out of."
Clarke worked for a catering company before landing her breakout role in "Game of Thrones."
Clarke has been honest about the not-so-glamorous gigs she held before her career took off.
The actress told Marie Claire in 2014 that she was "working six jobs to pay the rent," when she was starting out, and "called in sick" to her catering job when she got the call to audition for "Game of Thrones."
She has even admitted to being fired from one of her side hustles.
"I think I speak for actors everywhere when I say that we spend some time without the love of our job that we are trained to do in catering or call centers or bar jobs or festivals... or waitressing," she told reporters on the red carpet at the "Me Before You" premiere.
"I did data entry for a while. I actually got fired. I had the wheelie chair and we used to do Fast Food Friday, which used to leave me really hyper, so, I'd just wheel around the office," she added.
Clarke is an avid traveler and adventure seeker.
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She's been known to grab a backpack and travel to Southeast Asian destinations such as Vietnam, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. Clarke even took a trip to India earlier this year with her "Game of Thrones" costar Rose Leslie.
Beyoncé once told Clarke that she thinks the actress is "brilliant."
Clarke admitted that she may have embarrassed herself the first time she ever met Beyoncé. The impromptu moment caused her to be completely starstruck, she revealed in an interview with The New Yorker.
"I see this vision, this angel, this incredible woman float towards me," Clarke recalled. "I can't quite control myself. And Beyoncé says to me, 'Oh, my goodness, it's so wonderful to meet you. I think you're brilliant.' I just couldn't handle it! I was on the verge of tears."
"I could see myself reflected in her eyes. I could see her go, 'Oh, no. I misjudged this. This girl is crazy and I'm not going to have a real conversation with another celebrity. I'm having a conversation with a crazed fan who's looking at me like a rabbit in the headlights.'"
She has suffered from brain aneurysms in the past.
When speaking with The New Yorker, Clarke revealed that shortly after filming season one of "Game of Thrones," she experienced multiple brain aneurysms.
She was just 24 years old when the first one hit during a workout session with her trainer.
"I immediately felt as though an elastic band were squeezing my brain. I tried to ignore the pain and push through it, but I just couldn't. I told my trainer I had to take a break," she said in the interview.
"Somehow, almost crawling, I made it to the locker room. I reached the toilet, sank to my knees, and proceeded to be violently, voluminously ill. Meanwhile, the pain — shooting, stabbing, constricting pain — was getting worse. At some level, I knew what was happening: my brain was damaged."
Her "Game of Thrones" character almost went to someone else.
It's hard to imagine anyone else slipping into the shoes of Daenerys but that's almost exactly what happened. Actress Tamzin Merchant was originally cast in the famed "Game of Thrones" role.
Merchant filmed the full pilot for the HBO series, but was ultimately replaced by Clarke before filming of the first season started. The reason for the cast update wasn't disclosed.
The hit show wound up breaking viewing records, with more than 17.8 million people tuning in to watch the season eight episode, "The Long Night."