The Mother of Dragons has opened up about some of her biggest behind-the-scenes battles. In the months after the extraordinarily divisive ending of Game of Thrones, which closed out its epic eight-season run in May 2019, Emilia Clarke, who played Daenerys Targaryen on the series, has spoken out about tough moments she experienced during filming, namely the scenes in which she appeared in the buff, and there were quite a few.
Speaking with actor Dax Shepard on his podcast Armchair Expert, Clarke got candid about the pressure to perform while baring it all and the toll it took on her, especially considering the fact that she was quite young when she began her tenure on Thrones.
She told Shepard that both her clothed and unclothed scenes on Game of Thrones caused her feelings of anxiety and self-doubt. Luckily, Clarke had an ally in Aquaman himself, Jason Momoa, who played her husband Khal Drogo during the show's first season. Momoa completely had her back during these difficult sequences.
Clearly, Momoa was warmly protective of Clarke, who appreciated it immensely.
However, as more time went by, Clarke realized she had the clout to stick up for herself on set, saying that she became "a lot more savvy" about what she's comfortable doing.
By the time she had to perform her final nude scene, which took place on the season 6 episode "Book of the Stranger," Clarke took control, saying,
"I'm owning this, this is mine, they've asked me to do it, and I am f---ing game."
Game of Thrones featured plenty of full-frontal scenes during its decade-long run, and Clarke performed her fair share. From her wedding night with Khal Drogo to her rebirth from the flames that gave way to her dragons, some of those sequences actually made sense within the plot of the show. Beyond that, there were a handful of scenes during which Clarke's Daenerys simply stripped down for no narrative reason, which obviously took its toll on the actress.
Thrones became infamous throughout its run for using sex and nudity as narrative devices even when it barely made sense to do so, and clearly, the comments made to Clarke about keeping her fans "happy" was no outlier. Director Neil Marshall, who helmed the season 2 episode "Blackwater," once opened up about how studio executives pushed him to add titillation when it wasn't needed, proving that HBO brass were likely more concerned with ratings than how the Game of Thrones cast and crew felt about the on-set environment.
In the end, it's great that Clarke found the strength to stand up for herself and that stars like Momoa stuck up for her when she couldn't, but it's unsettling that the higher-ups behind Game of Thrones pushed such a young actress into performing scenes that made her uncomfortable.
Ultimately, Clarke is clearly still proud of the show that brought her international fame, and how she handled this important on-set dilemma will almost definitely help young stars going forward.
If you miss Khaleesi, Game of Thrones is streaming in its entirety on HBO Go and HBO On Demand. If you want to catch Clarke in a new role, her latest film, Last Christmas, is in theaters now.
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