Emilia Clarke has finally spoken out about the criticism she drew for her nude scenes in Game of Thrones. In a new ELLE profile, the actress reflects on the "antifeminist" backlash, and on the season four sex scene that finally turned the tables.
"'Take off your clothes,'" Clarke said, quoting Daenerys's memorable line to her lieutenant Daario in season four. "It's brilliant. I actually went up to [co-creators David Benioff and Dan Weiss] and thanked them. I was like, 'That's a scene I've been waiting for!'"
Clarke elaborated, "I get a lot of crap for having done nude scenes and sex scenes. That, in itself, is so antifeminist. Women hating on other women is just the problem. That's upsetting, so it's kind of wonderful to have a scene where I was like, 'There you go!'"
Clarke also admitted that the prospect of Game of Thrones ending next year is giving her serious anxiety. (Which, like, same.)
"Oh God, I get sleepless nights over it," she said. "Oh, you're gonna mess it up. It's the last season, and it's going to go wrong.' My mates are like, 'It's you—you [and Daenerys] are one and the same now. You need to trust your instincts!' And I'm like, 'No, I've got to do more research!' The higher everyone places the mantle, the bigger the fall. That sounds really awful, but it's true! I don't want to disappoint anyone, basically."
Clarke also shut down those persistent rumors that she's dating co-star Kit Harington—who may or may not be engaged to fellow GoT actor Rose Leslie—explaining simply that "it's so far from the truth." In fact, Clarke has made a vow to stop dating actors entirely. "I kind of set myself with a little rule this year: NMA. No More Actors. And yet it's almost the only bloody choice; they're practically the only people I know!"
Read Clarke's full interview at ELLE.com.
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