"F**k It!" Friday: Emilia Clarke

It’s Fridaaaaay, and we’re pretty excited here at MTV Breaks… mainly because it’s time for “F**k It!” Friday – our weekly feature all about championing those celebs who’ve said a big fat “f**k it!” to get to where they are today.

Because you’re never going to reach the top of your game if you’re plagued with self-doubt and listen to the haters.

But who’s our FIF idol this particular week? It’s EMILIA CLARKE!

You may know Emilia from a tiny little TV drama called Game of Thrones (which happens to have just reappeared on our screens for a nail-biting seventh season). Emilia plays the fierce and feisty dragon queen Daenerys Targaryan, a role that she clinched when she was only 23 and that has since rocketed her to worldwide acclaim as an actress.

Nowadays, Emilia is one of the highest paid actors in television, reportedly earning about two million pounds per GoT episode, and has gone on to star in other very successful theatre productions and films (heard of Me Before You?), as well as winning and being nominated for loads of prestigious awards.­

But her success didn’t come out of nowhere. Emilia’s passion for drama started at a young age after she first saw the musical Show Boat, which eventually lead to her application for drama school at 18. She didn’t get in the first time when she applied for RADA, but that didn’t stop her. That’s right, she said “f**k it!” (probably), believed in herself, and applied again the year after, this time successfully enrolling at London’s Drama Centre where past alumni include Tom Hardy, Colin Firth and Russell Brand. In 2009 she landed a guest appearance in the soap opera Doctors and, in 2010, a role in TV movie Triassic Attack for which she was named one of the UK Stars of Tomorrow by Screen International.

While it sounds like Emilia’s career was on track for stardom, in reality it was tough and Emilia was working six different jobs to try to pay the rent. But even while she was struggling she didn’t quit acting to pursue a career with a more stable income… she continued to say “f**k it” and kept hammering away at the acting industry door, even when people told her that her dreams wouldn’t become a reality.

And it was lucky she did because in 2011 she landed that audition for HBO. And when an auditioner asked if she could do anything else, and another joked that she should dance, she did the funky chicken/ robot. Because, ya know… f**k it…? Clearly worked though.

So there you have it - Emilia’s our “F**k It!” Friday idol this week for pursuing acting in the face of not only failure but real life crisis disaster. Oh, and also for using her well-earnt fame later on to shine a light on the issues facing women in the film industry, especially around the topic of unequal nudity in TV/ film. Yas queen.

HAPPY FRIDAY EVERYONE!