HBO’s Game of Thrones has no doubt left a legacy that is hard to beat – it ran for eight years and had amassed multiple awards. As such, the series, which was based on George R.R. Martin’s novel A Song of Fire and Ice, has also thrust its cast members into a different level of stardom.
As much as they owe their popularity to the audience, don’t expect that they will always oblige to your fan requests when you see them – at least for Emilia Clarke, who played the Protector of the Seven Kingdoms and the Mother of Dragons Daenerys Targaryen. She was able to attract a cult-like following, thanks to her fearless character.
It’s not because fame got to her head. It’s just she had a terrible experience with one supporter at an airport at the worst time possible.
In an interview, the actress narrated she was at the airport walking when she suddenly had a panic attack stemming from her exhaustion from the flight. As such, Emilia phoned her mom and asked her what to do because she couldn’t breathe, which is a common sign of an anxiety attack.
Confused and anxious, tears began to roll down her face and while this was happening, a fan approached her and asked her for a selfie. The 33-year-old declined the request and explained she was having a hard time breathing – as if it wasn’t evident, though.
The bad experience was enough for her to learn her lesson. It appears that it was traumatic and because of that, the Game of Thrones alum will not be taking photos with her fans for now.
While that may be bad news for her avid supporters, she said she would still be happy to sign autographs, which she actually prefers more than a selfie.
Apparently, Emilia values this more since she and the one asking will have more interactions because they get to talk even for a short while; whereas when asking for a picture, people immediately take off after getting what they want.
Emilia isn’t the only one who has stopped taking photos with her fans, even Emma Watson, who rose to fame because of the Harry Potter films, also decided she wouldn’t agree to selfies not because she is a diva but because she has a life.
It is also because of safety issues: the Beauty and the Beast actress said once a person immediately posts their picture on social media, a lot of people will already know where she currently is.