10 Times TV Actors Thought They Would Be Fired For Sure
2. Emilia Clarke - Game Of Thrones
Emilia Clarke gave a star-making performance as Daenerys Targaryen on Game of Thrones, through real-life very nearly had other plans, with a grave medical diagnosis prompting Clarke to assume the role would have to be recast.
In 2019, Clarke revealed that she suffered two brain aneurysms in 2011 and 2013 while in production on the show's earlier seasons. As a result, she expected that she would end up being let go from the series due to her health issues conflicting with its tight production schedule.
She said in an interview on Jessie Ware's Table Manners podcast:
"With the first [aneurysm], I couldn't let [HBO] know what had happened until they knew that I wasn't going to die. So it took us three weeks to be like, 'Sorry for not answering the old emails. I've just been a bit, you know... I'm fine! By the way, everything's great. I'm totally fine. I'm going to be back to work, nothing's wrong with me. I'm all good'... I just was, and consistently, so scared of being fired for whatever reason."
Clarke added that her fear was more a result of her own insecurities than anything she'd heard from the network or producers, yet in the high-pressure, fast-moving world of mega-budget TV, it was certainly an understandable concern.