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Khaleesi, the Mother of Dragons or Daenerys Stormborn, whichever your favorite, you will love her. Emilia Clarke's decade on Game of Thrones has seen her rise to the peak of an acting career that had an astonishingly humble beginning. Before Emilia Clarke took up her role on Game of Thrones, she had a hard time being noticed, let alone landing a role.

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Now, every studio is dying to sign her with speculation of her becoming the world's next James Bond. However, this shiny career has had some crazy moments that you would love to know about. Here are the most interesting facts about her career.

SHE WAS NOT HBO'S ORIGINAL CHOICE FOR DAENERYS

Tamzin Merchant was the first person to play Dany in Game of Thrones. The Tudors star, however, refused to show up for refilming when the first shootings were rejected. She preferred to the new role in The Tudors, giving Emilia, who had waited a whole year for a role, the chance.

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Emilia Clarke impressed at the auditions in London with her strong performance. She later impressed the HBO executives in Los Angeles as she proved herself to be the right mystery woman that could fit in the shoes of the potential Queen of the Seven Kingdoms.

SHE WAS HURT BY THE NUDITY REQUIRED IN GAME OF THRONES

Game of Thrones was a challenging endeavor for Emilia despite her love for the role and its success. She was a young actor in her 20s, not used to nudity and intense scenes. In the first few episodes alone, she was had to act in a rape scene and also walk naked through a fire, both of which she hated. She, however, had no choice because she really needed the role.

She later confessed that she had to take breaks and cry between the scenes. She then got comfortable as her role became more formal, but she faced lots of difficulties with excessive violence.

SHE WORKED AS A BARTENDER BEFORE LANDING A ROLE

Emilia Clarke didn't know many key figures in film, so she had to start small. After art school in London, she prayed for a big role, but like every pioneering actor, she had to wait on fate. To pay rent and other expenses, she picked up everything that got her a check.

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She got a job as a call center agent and then worked as a waitress. She later became a bartender before her agent told her about the auditions for an HBO reshoot in London and bam! Her career was set.

SHE SURVIVED AN ANEURYSM

Game of Thrones was a success for both the actors and the producers. Emilia Clarke's time on the show, however, started with a near-death experience. She had a brain aneurysm weeks after completing the shooting of season one.

The experience was terrifying as she faced the threat of death, if not permanent memory loss. It was almost the end of a career that had just kicked off. The condition was, however, treated without having to undergo open surgery.

SHE WAS RELIEVED WHEN HER TERMINATOR MOVIE FAILED

The Terminator was one of Emilia Clarke's favorite movies growing up. Arnold  Schwarzenegger was also her role model, so when she got a chance to act in Terminator Genisys as Sarah Connor alongside Schwarzenegger, she was thrilled. It was a chance to measure out against Lena Headey, who also played Sarah Connor in the Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles series.

At least they could be compared on another platform apart from King's Landing. She was, however, busy with all the publicity that came with Game of Thrones, so she didn't put her all into Terminator Genisys. She was relieved when it flopped since she didn't want to act in the sequels.

SHE WAS REJECTED FOR HER FIRST ACTING ROLE

Acting came naturally for Clarke as a five-year-old girl after watching Show Boat. She was always thrilled by the backstage life of the theater, where her dad frequently took her. Her dad was a sound engineer in theaters in West End, and he also encouraged Clarke to act.

She got lead roles at school at the age of five, but she had a hard time remembering lines. Her first audition was for a role in The Goodbye Girl in West End at the age of 10. She was unable to sing a good contemporary British Folklore song, so she was dropped.

SHE ALMOST DIED FROM A SURGERY GONE WRONG

After her first aneurysm incident, doctors discovered a second tumor on the left side of her brain. She underwent a procedure to remove it after Season 3 of Game of Thrones. The first surgery which didn't involve opening the skull failed, and her brain started bleeding.

She had to be operated through a traumatic moment that caused her panic attacks and pain long after the surgery. She was most worried about the replacement of parts of her skull with titanium.

HER BROADWAY SHOW WAS A FAILURE

Terminator Genisys was not Emilia's only failed film. She made her debut on Broadway with a street version of Breakfast at Tiffany's.

The show had disappointing reviews and poor ticket sales, leading to low revenue. It was canceled within a month of its premiere, forcing Clarke to concentrate on Game of Thrones.

SHE DIDN'T DATE KIT HARINGTON

Emilia Clarke and Kit Harington (Jon Snow) shared one of the strongest relationships on set. The two had to be close both on and off the show. Their closeness was so natural that everyone assumed they were dating. Emilia Clarke later squashed the speculation, confirming that they were more brotherly than lovers.

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She said in an interview that Kit Harrington even pretended to retch on set to reduce the intensity of the moments on stage. Not much is known about Clarke's love life, but it surely doesn't involve Harrington. The two are, however, close friends and even met for a reunion when the show ended.

SHE IS OK WITH BECOMING THE NEXT JAMES BOND

The character of James Bond has been long dominated by men, mostly associated with Sean Connery and Daniel Craig. James Bond is an intense series that has never had a starring female lead actor.

However, the toughness displayed by Emilia on Game of Thrones made her the fans' top pick for the role. She said she would be happy to take up the role when Danie Craig retires after No Time To Die, the long-awaited 25th James Bond film.

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