Second Helpings - Emilia Clarke

Table Manners with Jessie and Lennie Ware

In this nostalgic episode of Table Manners, hosts Jessie and Lennie Ware welcome Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke for a festive reunion in their

Key takeaways

• Emilia Clarke shares how her late father's passion for food shaped her own relationship with meals and cooking.
• She opens up about surviving two brain aneurysms in her twenties, a deeply personal journey she kept private until now.

Main topics

• Personal health journey and recovery from brain aneurysms
• Family memories and the role of food in connection

Notable quotes

"If you crave chocolate, like dark chocolate, it's not just a treat—it's your body asking for oxygen."

"I don't normally take this long to eat. But I'm also the fastest eater in the world."

Conclusion

Emilia Clarke's appearance on Table Manners is a touching and joyful celebration of

Transcript preview

Speaker 1 (0:03) Hello and welcome to Table Manners. We are doing our second helpings and this week we have the gorgeous, brilliant Amelia Clarke, who was one of our first, she was a really early guest. I remember it being a big deal when we got Amelia Clarke. It came out in December 2019. She was coming on to talk about her Christmas film, Last Christmas, which I still watch. A proper Christmas film. Yeah, we were ending series eight with Amelia Clarke. And we were so excited to have the Mother of Dragons on. And it was thanks to Greg James that we had her on. Why? Because Speaker 2 (0:36) he Speaker 1 (0:36) told me that she was a fan of the podcast. So I slid into her DMs and we made it happen. Mum, you made chicken soup with matzo balls at her request, despite being gluten intolerant. Oh, Speaker 2 (0:48) okay. Speaker 1 (0:48) And we did monkfish skewers and rosemary stalks. We also did salt and vinegar potatoes. And I made... a dairy-free chocolate cake, which no doubt was probably quite crap because I'm still rubbish at cakes. This is Emilia Clarke coming up on Second Helpings. Speaker 1 (1:08) The stunning Emilia Clarke has just walked through the door with like a huge amount of gifts. I Speaker 3 (1:13) can't wait for you guys to... They're fun. Like one of them, Speaker 1 (1:17) they're Christmas themed. Wow. What is it? Is it a bauble? Speaker 3 (1:21) Yeah, Speaker 1 (1:22) but it's Speaker 3 (1:22) filled with Christmas chocolates. So you've got one of them each. That's amazing. Speaker 1 (1:26) Thank you. Speaker 3 (1:27) Because I figured like babies might be well into being like... Oh my God, what? No, these Speaker 1 (1:31) are amazing. I just thought they were so cool. They're like, they're like, they're biscuits. Kind of like a bourbon and jammy dodgers. But they're not. Are they chocolate? They're Speaker 2 (1:40) all Speaker 3 (1:40) chocolate. So they're chocolate in the shape of like, your like jammy dodger. Speaker 1 (1:44) It's so neat. It's like you knew my daughter said just before you came, I want chocolate. Speaker 3 (1:50) Amazing. These Speaker 1 (1:50) are Speaker 3 (1:50) amazing. Thanks so much. No worries. I loved it. It was like my most joyous thing. I was trying to work out. I Speaker 1 (1:56) was Speaker 3 (1:56) like, what am I going to get you guys? It's got to be Christmas things. When do you have time to go Speaker 2 (1:59) shopping? Speaker 3 (1:59) Oh, please. That's very close to me. So, and they were like, you're, they literally called me a regular today. I was like, oh no. Speaker 1 (2:07) Are you a chocoholic? That's embarrassing. Speaker 3 (2:08) I, yeah. Like it's, it's like a need. Someone once told me that if you crave chocolate, like dark chocolate, which is what I like. genuinely trained myself to like because when I was do you know what I mean you're like yeah white chocolate all day obviously but then yeah Speaker 1 (2:24) yeah Speaker 3 (2:25) milky bar um but then when I started getting into dark chocolate someone told me that when you crave it it's you're craving oxygen Speaker 1 (2:32) Oh, I heard it was magnesium. Or something. There's like some genuine, because you know you get those cravings, especially Speaker 3 (2:37) for dark, where you're like, it's Speaker 2 (2:38) like a pregnancy. I thought it was when you had your period. Oh, the iron. Speaker 3 (2:45) There's all that good stuff in it. Speaker 2 (2:46) So Speaker 3 (2:46) yeah, I get well into that and kind of try and enjoy it. So you've Speaker 1 (2:49) like brought over chocolates. You're Speaker 3 (2:51) a Speaker 1 (2:51) chocoholic. Are you sick to death of Christmas yet? So Speaker 3 (2:54) we shot it last year. Last year? Around Christmas. Christmas so we shot it all before Christmas then we took two weeks off to have our own Christmases and then carried on and It was kind of, it worked out sort of well because we were filming it at Christmas and we're filming it in London where it's all Christmassy anyway and you're just like, amazing. All it did is make all of our own Christmases the most exhausting things you've ever, like, because we're all like, this isn't the movie. Speaker 1 (3:19) Where are the fairy lights? On crack. What's Speaker 3 (3:22) it? Speaker 1 (3:23) Okay. He's gorgeous. Speaker 2 (3:24) Yes. Speaker 3 (3:25) Yeah, he's cute. Now was Speaker 2 (3:27) he in Crazy Rich Asians? Yeah, Crazy Rich Asians. Good to see her. Speaker 3 (3:32) Yes. Genuinely, yeah. He's so good looking. Yeah, no, because there are some where you're like, oh, but no, he was just brilliant. Did you get lost Speaker 1 (3:41) in the moment for a second? Speaker 3 (3:43) Yeah, especially when it's a really romantic scene. But the thing about me and Hen was that like, I don't, I don't know, there was, we were so, we were so like friends and professional that it like, there was nothing. And I mean this with such sincerity. There was nothing. It was just like a lovely kiss. Like there wasn't, do you know what I mean? You're like, it was like a movie. Okay, fine. Yeah, and it wasn't meant to be. So I think all of that kind of played into it. Oh Speaker 1 (4:12) my God, Speaker 3 (4:12) I need to see the fucking film now. I'm dying. I think you'll really like it. Speaker 2 (4:16) A rom-com is my favourite type of film, especially a Christmas rom-com. Well, Speaker 3 (4:20) and it's a very, very, very British rom-com in that it's like more than a rom-com. Speaker 2 (4:26) And it's got George Speaker 3 (4:27) Michael music. And it's Speaker 1 (4:28) got Speaker 3 (4:28) George Michael music all over the shop. And then there's his unreleased one that he... that he made right before he died and it's rolling on the credits. Oh, wow. So it's kind of amazing that Paul in all the screenings was like, stay for the credits. And I'm like, stop telling everyone what to do. Like if they want to stay, they can just like. I heard Speaker 1 (4:46) you on Craig, Craig David, on Greg, sorry, Greg James's breakfast show. Like you were doing a couple of stints on it, weren't you? Or not? Maybe you were just doing one, but he told me that you liked the podcast. That's the reason. That's the reason you're here. So thanks, Greg. Thanks, Greg. But yeah, you were doing like, I don't know what this game is that he does, but you were like, honestly, you hate the Pogues song. Fairytale of Christmas. It's really bad. Fairytale Speaker 3 (5:12) of Speaker 1 (5:12) New York, is it? Speaker 3 (5:13) Yeah. It's just one of those songs that just makes me sad every time. Of all the Christmas songs, you've got so many amazing options. And then there's, and then with that one, I just, I just. Speaker 1 (5:26) You're like, come on, we can like Speaker 3 (5:27) sing Speaker 1 (5:28) a proper Speaker 3 (5:28) Christmas. But I feel like Speaker 1 (5:28) maybe you should go to one of the Pogues. Brixton Academy Christmas shows just to really Speaker 3 (5:33) solidify Speaker 1 (5:34) whether you love it or hate it. Very good. That is so drunk and so Irish and kind of, kind of brilliant. But like, Speaker 3 (5:41) like I love an, I like, we shot in Belfast for 10 years. I love an Irish sing song in the pub, get it down your neck, all that stuff. I love it. I absolutely love it. But there's just so, I don't know. So Speaker 2 (5:51) you lived in Belfast when you Speaker 3 (5:53) were Speaker 2 (5:53) doing Game of Thrones? Yeah. I mean, we Speaker 3 (5:55) were there for. Like, for however long we had to be there. And on the last couple of seasons, we were there for basically, like, 10 months, 11 months. Speaker 2 (6:02) Did you understand Speaker 3 (6:02) the accent? Oh, how about you? Yeah. My dad was from Speaker 2 (6:06) there. Speaker 3 (6:06) Oh, nice. Speaker 1 (6:07) Yeah. And I thought... It's well-trendy. Everyone said Speaker 2 (6:10) modern and patron. Yeah. And film. Do they still say film? Film. Film. Yeah, but people don't, do they? Yeah, so I've Speaker 1 (6:19) got, like, a lot of connections to you, which I feel like I need to spell out. Okay. Does the name, this will be slightly embarrassing if it doesn't, does the captain, do you know the captain? The captain. Okay, Dave Morgan. Right. One Speaker 3 (6:32) of Speaker 1 (6:32) the cameramen. Yes, yes, yes, Speaker 3 (6:33) yes. Speaker 1 (6:33) So Speaker 3 (6:34) the Speaker 1 (6:34) captain is my best Speaker 3 (6:35) friend. Speaker 1 (6:35) My brother will be like, Speaker 3 (6:36) yes, the captain. Well, your brother Speaker 1 (6:37) worked Speaker 3 (6:38) on Game of Thrones as well. Yes, yeah, my brother worked on Game of Speaker 1 (6:39) Thrones. He's in the camera department. Speaker 3 (6:40) Yeah, was he on the Speaker 1 (6:41) last series? He was on the last series. And we lived together when we were filming. Speaker 3 (6:44) Do you get Speaker 1 (6:45) on Speaker 3 (6:45) well? We do. We do. I mean. We hadn't lived together for a very long time because we both went to boarding school in that amount of time by the time we started living together in Belfast. And so there were a few like, Ben, seriously, I need you to screw that jar back on that jam and I need you to pop it in the cupboard, do it for me. And then he had to wash up only his stuff. Oh, wow. But it was... the most magic thing in the world, coming back home and having Ben there. Like every once in a while, I'd be in the bath and the door would be closed and we'd just be having, he'd get in after a night out or whatever and then we'd be having a chat and be like, how was your day? It was just lovely. We'd get on really well. Speaker 2 (7:25) Is he older or younger? Speaker 3 (7:26) He's older. He's like, I think they would, you'd call us Irish twins, Speaker 1 (7:30) isn't that what they, so he's like a year and a half. Yeah, or not quite within a year. Two under two. Yeah, Speaker 3 (7:35) two under two. Yeah, exactly. So that's Ben and I, so we're really, we're really close. Speaker 1 (7:38) So, Growing up. Yes. It was you and Ben. Me and Ben. And then your parents. And who was cooking? My dad. Speaker 3 (7:47) And your dad's passed away. My dad's passed away, yeah. I'm so sorry. So food is like... When I think about my childhood and I think about my family, it's just food. Really? That was how my dad expressed love. Obviously, he loved us. Yeah, Speaker 1 (8:02) of Speaker 3 (8:02) course. Speaker 1 (8:02) He Speaker 3 (8:02) expressed that in every other way. But my mum does three things and she does them very well. Come on. She hasn't done the chocolate mousse in a very long time, but she makes a mean chocolate mousse because she just would inhale like a... If you gave her a slab of dairy milk the size of the table, it'd be probably gone in about four bites. She's a chocoholic. And then she would do lamb chops and salad Speaker 1 (8:25) in a bag. Speaker 3 (8:25) She sounds like mum's kind of woman. She just... Lamb chops. Salad in a bag, love it. My mum loves a good lamb chop. So she would do that and we would do that and salad in a bag. And then to the point where it was so infamous that like my dad was the only one who did the cooking in the village that we now live in where we're all really, really close. Do you all live in the same village? No, no, no, no. As in our village where we live is like a proper community. And when I was in hospital, our neighbours, our amazing neighbours came. to the hospital with lamb chops and salad in Speaker 1 (8:57) a bag. Do you know what I mean? Because it was just Speaker 3 (9:00) like, yeah, our families kind of. But my dad would cook as kids, you know, the smell of like dough. He would make us homemade pizzas with like wholemeal dough. And then he'd make us chicken curries and he'd make us. But all of it. now I know was like with a superior palate you know I mean like none of it was bland so when I was a kid I didn't know how to say spicy so he used to call it minty so my dad would be like it's a bit minty but so it would be me with a with a vat of yogurt with pretty much anything he'd cook yeah because he loved chili my brother loved chili yeah so we um spag his spag bowls always had like kidneys in and like you know i'm like he really went there some people put chicken livers in chicken livers i don't mean kidney i mean chicken livers which i'd always try and navigate around yeah which i just wow like proper Speaker 1 (9:54) food proper Speaker 3 (9:55) food foodie but then he'd also make a club sandwich that was like the greatest thing you'd ever eaten like he just would make the most simple food Speaker 1 (10:05) What did he put in his cup? Was it everything that's in a cup sandwich? Everything, but Speaker 3 (10:09) he'd get the best bread and then it'd be toasted to perfection and then he'd have the best mayonnaise and then he'd have your iceberg lettuce and your smoky thick cut bacon and then he'd marinate that chicken in white wine and garlic and grill it like that and flat iron it himself, pound it out. He's there butchering in the kitchen all the time. pound it out and then have the next layer of bread and then there'd be your fresh tomatoes. Like it's just all of the stuff's just regular, but you just like pimped it basically, all of the food that we would eat. Speaker 2 (10:41) What did he do as a job? He was Speaker 3 (10:43) a sound designer Speaker 2 (10:44) for Speaker 3 (10:45) the theatre, but he started life as an art student and then as a roadie in a band and like... was just tried every drug under the planet and like was a massive hippie and then found his way into sound and then was a resident at the National for ages, for like 14 years. Did musicals, toured around the world. And what, Speaker 2 (11:02) did your mum work? Speaker 3 (11:03) Yeah, yeah, my mum's, my mum is, I'm going to put it really basically because I still don't quite get it, a businesswoman and always has been. So she was, my dad was this like, freewheeling, free-loving, creative hippie. And my mum was, so if you imagine like when they met and then my mum was like the 70s Speaker 1 (11:20) glamazon with her red Revlon nails Speaker 3 (11:21) and her red lips and her like Speaker 1 (11:23) perm. So where was he getting all his influences from? So Speaker 3 (11:27) he literally, food is such a big part. Like you could try, I could tell you all my parents' stories from like when they first. tried garlic when they first, what their best meal was, that kind of Speaker 1 (11:39) thing. It's full Speaker 3 (11:39) of Speaker 1 (11:39) nostalgia then. Yeah. Speaker 3 (11:40) Like my dad was always into food as a kid. He was from Wolverhampton. Wolverhampton? And his mum was like, you know, she cooked, but it was never full of like massive amounts of flavour, but he got lovely food. And then for his, I can't remember what birthday it must have been, but he was young. I think he was like under 10. They're like, what do you want to do for your birthday? And he was like, I want to go to this restaurant. They're like, right then, we'll go to this restaurant. And that's where he tried. I think that's the first time he went, he tried garlic and then they were well off enough to go on holidays. And so he went to Spain or to France and that was when he tried different spices, different flavours and just blew his mind. And from then on, no matter how poor he was, no matter how little money he had, because he went through most of his life with like not two pennies to put together, he would get his tin of sardines and his thing of rice and do whatever he could to like make it into like... Speaker 1 (12:32) Oh, I love him. He sounds amazing. And Speaker 3 (12:35) he'd try food from Speaker 1 (12:36) all over Speaker 3 (12:36) the world. Speaker 2 (12:37) He passed away? Yeah, three years ago. I'm so sorry. Speaker 3 (12:41) But I'd be speaking about him and his food love with just the same amount of vigour as I would if he were still here. Are you a good cook? I can be a good cook. Like, if you give me an Ottolenghi cookbook, I'll go mad. Like, me and my brother did all the Christmas Speaker 1 (12:57) cooking. Last Christmas. Okay, Speaker 3 (13:00) what was on the menu? So we did a turkey, which hilariously was the only thing that didn't work. And then we did, we had like 24 people around and we did, I think we... did like 15 different sides. Oh wow, okay. Speaker 1 (13:12) So we just essentially got Otolenghi and Speaker 3 (13:14) Jelena's cookbook. Oh yeah, love Jelena. Speaker 1 (13:18) Did you do a roasted sprout? Yes, we did a roasted sprout. Speaker 3 (13:21) We did that kale and we did, I can't remember what else we did, but we did loads and loads and people just basically ignored the turkey, which was half cooked. Speaker 1 (13:27) What happened Speaker 3 (13:27) to the, Speaker 1 (13:28) oh, it was half cooked. It was Speaker 3 (13:30) a new oven and we just didn't quite, and we sort of weren't paying attention to it, but it was this whopping great big turkey. Oh Speaker 1 (13:36) bloody Speaker 3 (13:36) hell. And then like, And because also my brother's a vegetarian, so we sort of needed to, maybe that's why he didn't really. Oh Speaker 1 (13:41) yeah, sabotage. Yeah, Speaker 3 (13:42) exactly. Sabotage the turkey. What Speaker 1 (13:43) are you doing this Christmas? Speaker 3 (13:45) I'm taking my mum to India. Speaker 1 (13:46) My mum and my brother to Speaker 3 (13:47) India for two weeks. Because it's my mum's 70th in January. Speaker 1 (13:51) Fantastic. So she Speaker 3 (13:52) didn't want to party. So I was like, oh, I'm going to surprise her with that. Speaker 1 (13:55) That's amazing. And you are part Indian. Yeah, yeah, Speaker 3 (13:58) yeah. So my granny was half Indian. And so we've, as a family, I went when I was 16 and scattered her ashes after she died in like backpacks around Northern India and