‘Game of Thrones’ Star Emilia Clarke Says Stop Asking Her About Nude Scenes: ‘It’s Annoying As Hell’

By Audacy

Emilia Clarke is not here for your nudity questions.

During a roundtable interview alongside fellow actresses like Michelle and Danai Gurira and Patricia Arquette, the "Game of Thrones" star got candid about her past nude scenes on the HBO series and why it led to her turning down the lead role in the "50 Shades of Grey" franchise.

"Well, Sam [Taylor-Johnson, the director] is a magician. I love her, and I thought her vision was beautiful," Clarke told The Hollywood Reporter. “But the last time that I was naked on camera on [Game of Thrones] was a long time ago, and yet it is the only question that I ever get asked because I am a woman. And it's annoying as hell, and I'm sick and tired of it because I did it for the character — I didn't do it so some guy could check out my tits, for God's sake. So, that coming up, I was like, 'I can't.'"

The "Solo: A Star Wars Story" star continued, “I did a minimal amount and I'm pigeonholed for life, so me saying yes to that, where the entire thing is about sensuality and sex and being naked and all of that stuff...No way am I going to voluntarily walk into that situation and then never be able to look someone in the eye and be like, 'No, you can't keep asking me this question.'"

Even if it’s not about the topless scenes, she admits fans just can’t get enough of Daenerys Targaryen.

“Regardless of what movie I'm on, I only get asked about 'Game of Thrones,'" the 32-year-old said. “And when you're in 'Star Wars,' 'Star Wars' [people are] like, 'That's not OK.'" She continues, "'Game of Thrones' is just a beast unto itself, and I'm indebted to it and bonded with it in a way no other job will ever touch.”

Clarke also discussed how playing Daenerys helped her get through the ordeal of her two brain injuries, which she publicly revealed earlier this year.

"I've been lying about this for a number of years. Every time anyone was like, ‘Where do you get your strength?' I'm like, ‘Heavens, I have no idea.' But [my character] and I grew together and, it's corny as hell, but she saved my life,“ Clarke said.

“The main thing that happens after you've had a brain injury — paralysis and all of that aside — is that you have fatigue, which sounds like a fancy way of saying you're tired, but it's debilitating to the point of demoralizing," she explains, "Most people don't have the mother of dragons' shoes to walk in to help them get out of it, and those are the people I speak to now."

But even with Daenerys Targaryen on her side, it's still a lot of work to bounce back after an injury like hers. "For me, the show must go on," she says, "so you get back in those shoes, and Khaleesi's killing all the masters, speaking to 300 people in a language that's not real, and having sex with Kit Harington. It literally forced me awake again and to look someone in the eye because I had to. It's been an unbelievable blessing. "

Despite everything she’s gone through with her medical issues, Clarke hasn’t lost her sense of humor.

“And I'm so lucky to have my cognitive skills — there is a bit of my brain that's died, and we don't know what it is, but it's probably my taste in men,” she said jokingly.