Emilia Clarke Says She Didn't Use a Body Double in Last Night's Game of Thrones
SPOILER WARNING for Game of Thrones season 6 episode 4, "Book of the Stranger."
Daenerys Targaryen was on fire on last night's Game of Thrones—literally. The Mother of Dragons provided the episode's epic ending by burning the temple of the Dosh Khaleen and her khal antagonizers with it, then emerging from the flames unburnt and unclothed.
Actress Emilia Clarke revealed that she did actually strip down to play Daenerys in this scene. You might think that's kind of a no-brainer considering Khaleesi appeared naked in the shots, but Clarke's history of doing nude scenes on GoT has been murky.
Back in 2013, speculation arose about her refusal to go nude when a co-star quoted a GoT cast member as saying, "I want to be known for my acting, not my breasts." Fans assumed this was in reference to Clarke. In 2015, Clarke was wrongly quoted as saying she "can't stand" sex scenes, but later clarified those remarks on Instagram: "In drama, if a nude scene forwards a story or is shot in a way that adds insight into characters, I'm perfectly fine with it." She added, "If it's gratuitous for gratuitous sake, then I will discuss with a director on how to make it more subtle." The actress was also in the running for Anastasia Steele in Fifty Shades of Grey, but turned down the role because of nudity.
So what changed her mind?
"I'd like to remind people the last time I took my clothes off was season 3," Clarke told Entertainment Weekly. "That was awhile ago. It's now season 6. But this is all me, all proud, all strong. I'm just feeling genuinely happy I said 'Yes.' That ain't no body double!"
But she wasn't completely out in the open. Although the Dothraki scenes were filmed in a desert in Spain, her nude scene was filmed separately on a private set in Belfast.
"Taking off my clothes is not the easiest thing, but with the magic of the effects, I don't have to do a Season 1 and go on a cliff and do it. I'm in control of it," she said. Clarke also noted that her male costar Michiel Huisman, who plays Daenery's lover Daario Naharis, doesn't get questioned about nudity as much as she does.
"How many times has Michiel Huisman been asked about the fact he's taken his clothes off a bunch? Is that even a discussion? No. So I'm doing it this year and people can talk about it and I'm ready to answer any questions about it, basically."
Much like Daenerys, Emilia Clarke is in control now. Watch her talk more about last night's ending in the behind the scenes video below.
Erica Gonzales is the Senior Culture Editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage on TV, movies, music, books, and more. She was previously an editor at HarpersBAZAAR.com. There is a 75 percent chance she's listening to Lorde right now.
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