Emilia Clarke has shut down rumors that she earned $300,000 each time she appeared in an episode of HBO's Game of Thrones.
Throughout the show's seven-season run from 2011 to 2019, the actor played Daenerys Targaryen, dubbed "Mother of Dragons" among the show’s fandom. Despite the character’s popularity, Clarke claims she didn’t receive the six-figure salary,
"We didn’t earn that much. Can you imagine? I’d have been driving a couple of Porsches!" Clarke told Variety, adding that she was, however, able to pay off her parents’ mortgage.
The entertainer added that she struggled to "understand" her international fame, which she described as fitting a "formula." "The less you’re on TV, the less famous you are. It comes and it goes," she continued.
In a 2025 FandomWire article, Clarke and GoT co-lead Kit Harington, who played Targaryen’s nephew and lover Jon Snow, were reported to have received $1.2 million per episode. Targaryen and Snow had a tragic end to the series, which Clarke was "absolutely livid" about.
Clarke, who also received four Emmy nominations for the role of Targaryen, also shared that she was "embarrassed to admit" that not winning an Emmy was "significant" for her and believing GoT had become "old news" since its finale.
"I do not like that person," Clarke recalled of her previous belief. "Because clearly, I have a 13-year-old’s idea of success."
Clarke actually suffered from two brain aneurysms while filming Game of Thrones. In 2024, she shared in an interview that she was afraid her brain injuries might lead to her being removed from the show.
"When you have a brain injury, because it alters your sense of self on such a dramatic level, all of the insecurities you have going into the workplace quadruple overnight," Clarke said. "The first fear we all had was: 'Oh my God, am I going to get fired? Am I going to get fired because they think I’m not capable of completing the job?'"
