Emilia Clarke debunks million-dollar rumors about Game of Thrones salary

Emilia Clarke has spoken publicly for the first time about salary rumors surrounding her time as Daenerys Targaryen. Der Spiegel reports that the British actress addressed the persistent speculation in an interview, dismissing claims that she earned $300,000 per episode. "Can you imagine?", Clarke commented on the rumors with humor, according to nme.com: "I'd have been driving a couple of Porsches!"

The 37-year-old, who worked on the HBO series for eight years, made clear that the ensemble's actual salaries were significantly lower than that figure. Stern quotes Clarke as saying that the cast "did not earn that much money," as had long been assumed. With this statement, she refutes speculation that had persisted in media reports for years.

New perspective on income conditions

Clarke's statement sheds new light on the income situation at one of the most successful television series in broadcasting history. While top actors in major productions do indeed receive substantial sums per episode, Clarke's clarification shows that public estimates for the Game of Thrones ensemble were apparently far off the mark. N-tv adds that Clarke also discussed the personal impact the series had on her life in the interview.

The actress had long refrained from commenting on questions about her compensation. With her current statement, she ends years of speculation and provides insight into the economic reality even in blockbuster productions, where actual salaries often fall short of media expectations.