Virtually every time an actress appears nude on-screen, people have something to say about it. Like, everybody: men, women, people who have seen the scene in question, and people who haven't. And Emilia Clarke, like many actresses who have done sex scenes, has put up with a lot of shit for appearing nude multiple times throughout her run as Daenerys Targaryen on Game of Thrones. But Clarke knows something else: that the backlash doesn't really matter when you know the work is awesome.
Elle's August cover star fondly recalls filming in particular the season 4 sex scene she shared with Dario (Michiel Huisman) — you know, the amazing, badass, sexy one where Daenerys was 100% in control? While many people saw the scene as an example of the much-need sexual empowerment of women on the show, others saw it differently.
"[That scene] is brilliant," she told Elle. "I actually went up to [GOT co-creators David Benioff and Dan Weiss] and thanked them. I was like, ‘That’s a scene I’ve been waiting for!’ Because I get a lot of crap for having done nudes scenes and sex scenes." She continued, "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!’"
This isn't the first time the 30-year-old has had to defend her GOT nudity. In 2015, she was misquoted in a tabloid as saying she "can't stand" sex scenes. (She took to Instagram to clear things up.) The next year, she made a great point about the incident in an interview with Entertainment Weekly: "How many times has [Daario actor] Michiel Huisman been asked about the fact he’s taken his clothes off a bunch?" she said. "Is that even a discussion? No." Precisely.