Emilia Clarke revealed that she no longer takes selfies with fans, for a refreshing reason.
The 33-year-old explained her decision to no longer participate in selfies on Table Manners With Jessie Ware podcast. The reasoning behind not wanting to take photos is to form human connections with her fans, something that she hasn’t gotten when taking selfies. When asked for a selfie, the actress now asks fans if they want an autograph instead.
“Because as soon as you sign something, you have to have an interaction with that person,” Clarke explained. “Then you have a chat and you’re actually having a truthful human-to-human thing, as opposed to it being this other thing that probably isn’t nice for them and isn’t that nice for you.”
Clarke revealed that the thing she misses most about being out of the spotlight is having real conversations with people, although she did admit that she signed up for fame.
The decision to not take selfies came after a handful of strange fan encounters. One instance she shared was when she was at an airport and was having a panic attack when a fan asked for a photo while she was crying.
“I was on the phone to my mom saying, ‘I feel like I can’t breathe, I don’t know what’s going on,’” she then questioned. “I’m crying and crying, and this guy’s like, ‘Can I get a selfie?’ I was like, ‘I can’t breathe, I’m really sorry.’”
At the end of the day, Clarke wants the fans to have the best experience possible and for her to have the conversation that she strives for. “I’ve just been trying to navigate how I can [meet with fans] without feeling like my soul is completely empty. Because they don’t really want to talk to you,” she concluded.
Then & Now: The Cast of ‘Game of Thrones’
Peter Dinklage (2011)
THEN: Dinklage was in a myriad of films before landing the part of Tyrion Lannister in ‘Game of Thrones,’ including ‘The Station Agent,’ which gave the actor two Screen Actors Guild nods for Best Actor and won him a Satellite Award. The actor and his wife of six years, theatre director Erica Schmidt, also welcomed a daughter at this time.
Peter Dinklage (2016)
NOW: Dinklage, now 47, holds two Emmys and a Golden Globe Award for his work on the HBO series. Since then, he’s starred in action films like ’X-Men: Days of Future Past,’ ‘Pixels,’ and has made two appearances on ‘SNL.’
Lena Headey (2011)
THEN: Headley was still building her resume, having headlined her own show as the lead in Fox’s ‘Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.’ Her action skills were also put to task in blockbusters ‘The Brothers Grimm’ and ‘300,’ which pronounced her star power. At 37, the actress was also just separating from Peter Loughran after four years of marriage.
Lena Headey (2016)
NOW: Since her rise to fame, Headley has made a huge come-up. She has received three Emmy award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her portrayal of Cersei on the show. At 42, the actress has appeared in even more box-office smashers like ‘The Purge,’ ‘The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones’ and is still a recurring character in the ‘300’ franchise.
Nikolaj Coster Waldau (2011)
THEN: Coster-Waldau first gained popularity in his native Scandinavia for his parts in 2011 films like ‘Blackthorn’ and ‘Headhunters,’ the latter becoming the highest-grossing movie in Norwegian film history. After a fair amount of acting work in America, the 40-year-old actor earned his Screen Actors Guild card in 2007, and landed the role of Jaime Lannister on ‘GoT’ in 2011.
Nikolaj Coster Waldau (2016)
NOW: At 46, Coster-Waldau continues to prove himself to be a formidable actor; he hasn’t slowed down with getting acting jobs outside of the show, either. He’s taken on a range of different roles that showcase his versatility as an actor: from the 2013 horror flick ‘Mama’ to the post-apocalyptic action-thriller ‘Oblivion,’ to landing the starring role as Horus in this year’s ‘Gods of Egypt.’
Aidan Gillen (2011)
THEN: Gillen was no stranger to landing big roles, having starred in popular prime time shows like ‘Queer as Folk’ and ‘The Wire’ already—the latter won the actor an Irish Film & Television Award in 2004. By 2011, the 42-year-old actor had already starred in over 20 films and TV shows before securing his part on ‘GoT’ as Petyr Baelish.
Aidan Gillen (2016)
NOW: Gillen, now 48, continues to claim roles in noteworthy films. He’s taken on villainous characters in major seat-fillers flicks like 2015’s ’Maze Runner: The Scorch Trails’ as well as its upcoming sequel, and is slated to star in 2017’s ‘King Arthur: Legend of the Sword.’ In 2015, it was revealed that Gillen had separated from his wife, Olivia O’Flanagan, and is currently dating Irish musician Camille O’Sullivan.
Kit Harington (2011)
THEN: At 24, Harington was just finding global fame after landing the part of Jon Snow. Before, the actor was fresh out of the Centre School of Speech and Drama after graduating in 2008; though he hadn’t quite solidified his celebrity just yet. He did, however, receive some buzz for his theatre work, namely for the Oliver Award-winning play ‘War Horse.’
Kit Harington (2016)
NOW: Harington has been on a career high since he made his ‘GoT’ debut as Jon Snow, which provided the actor an Emmy award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series at this year’s Primetime Emmy Awards. He’s also picked up a few starring roles over the years, in films such as 2014’s action-packed film ‘Pompeii’ and the drama flick ‘Testament of Youth.’ Earlier this year, Harington admitted to being in a relationship with his ‘GoT’ co-star, Rose Leslie as early 2012.
Maisie Williams (2011)
THEN: Williams was just 14 when she received her first real acting role in 2011 as Arya Stark on ‘GoT.’ In the same year, the actress also received a Scream Award nomination for Best Ensemble.
Maisie Williams (2016)
NOW: At 19, Williams is still a working actress. She made history in 2012 for being the youngest actress ever to receive the Portal Award at 15. Since her start on the show, she’s appeared in several films and is expected to star alongside Elle Fanning in the 2017 Mary Shelley-inspired romance flick ‘A Storm in the Stars.’
Emilia Clarke (2011)
THEN: At 24, Clarke was just beginning her acting career two years prior to auditioning for the role of Daenerys. The actress wasn’t a newbie by any means: she graduated from Drama Centre London in 2009, had acted in 10 plays already, and received a few TV acting roles before her big boom on ‘GoT.’
Michael Kovac, Getty Images
Emilia Clarke (2016)
NOW: Five years later, the 29-year-old starlet has expanded her career incredibly since her breakthrough. She was named Esquire’s Sexiest Woman Alive in 2015, and landed the main role in one of this year’s biggest book-to-screen adaptations, ‘Me Before You,’ which earned over $182 million globally.
