Emilia Clarke Clarifies Games of Thrones Salaries: ‘We Didn’t Earn That Much’

by

The HBO show was a huge hit, receiving critical acclaim and numerous awards. You might assume the stars were making a fortune, but Emilia Clarke revealed that wasn’t true.

Emilia Clarke, famous for her role as Daenerys Targaryen throughout the seven seasons of Game of Thrones, recently discussed how much the actors were paid. While reports suggested salaries around $300,000 per episode, Clarke says those numbers were much higher than reality and that the cast actually earned significantly less.

Clarke jokingly lamented that they didn’t make very much money, saying he could have bought a couple of Porsches if they had!

Game of Thrones Made Emilia Clarke a Global Celebrity

Regardless of the exact salaries, Game of Thrones definitely launched the careers of its cast, turning them into household names. Emilia Clarke, who played Daenerys, became a global star with a huge international fanbase. She also thought a lot about how this sudden fame changed her perspective, eventually understanding that it’s tied to how popular the show remains.

Clarke says he spent a long time puzzling over something, but then it became clear: the less someone appears on television, the less well-known they become. Fame, he explains, is fleeting – it rises and falls.

She says she’s incredibly grateful for everything Game of Thrones brought into her life, after a long and winding journey to get to this point. She’s moved past feeling defined or limited by the show and its aftermath, and now simply feels fortunate it was a part of her life – and that she’s had time to fully appreciate that. She feels like she’s finally moved on to a new chapter.

Emilia Clarke Went Score Other Major Roles After Game of Thrones

After gaining recognition for her role in Game of Thrones, Emilia Clarke starred in several popular film franchises. She took on the part of Sarah Connor (originally played by Linda Hamilton) in the 2016 film Terminator: Genisys, alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger. Later, she played Qi’ra in a 2018 film and joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as G’iah in the 2023 Disney+ series Secret Invasion. Clarke also appeared in leading roles in the films Before You and Last Christmas, both released in 2016.

Clarke recently starred in the spy thriller series Ponies, which premiered on Peacock earlier this year. She was also an executive producer on the show, and it has received critical acclaim with a 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Clarke has hinted that plans for a continuation of the series are currently being discussed.

Game of Thrones is streaming on HBO Max.

Read More

2026-05-31 21:37