Emilia Clarke is the cover star of The Anti-Maxxing Issue of Marie Claire UK

Approaching her 40th birthday, Emilia Clarke tells Marie Claire UK that her goal for the next decade is to “take it lightly”, which she says takes real strength. After a decade of “freezing” through two brain haemorrhages and her father’s death during Game of Thrones, she now relies on humour, chooses her projects more carefully, avoids social media, and values real connections over algorithms. She tries not to build her self-worth on others’ expectations or on comparison, and prefers self-acceptance to self-love. This fits the magazine’s “Anti-Maxxing” theme: well-being comes from laughter, authenticity and acceptance, not constant self-optimisation.