“That’s a scene I’ve been waiting for”: Emilia Clarke Was Thankful for a ‘Naked’ Game of Thrones Scene After Getting a Lot of Hate from Feminists

Emilia Clarke’s arc in Game of Thrones has been a subject of both fury and annoyance over the years — and for good reason. Be it her manipulative benevolence, or little by little transformation into the Mad Queen, or her full-blown turn to tyranny — Danaerys Targaryen’s journey has been a rollercoaster ride and her character remains an enigma whose first moment is as memorable as her last, and every second in between is just as remarkably imprinted on the audience’s memory.

But even in a character as legendary as the Mother of Dragons, there exist moments of conflict that underline the HBO series because of the socio-political climate of the reality we live in. It is one such moment that had Emilia Clarke breathing a sigh of relief while filming a particularly seductive scene on the show.

Emilia Clarke Thanked GoT Co-Creators For a Nude Scene

On the day she won the opportunity to land a leading role in an HBO production, Emilia Clarke accepted the gig without much forethought. Later, when she opened the script, Clarke remarked, ‘Oh, there’s the catch!’ That tiny thought of foreboding stretched into the initial few days of filming, with her very first scene setting the disturbing tone of the show. Days stretched into months and months into years, and the Mhysa kept delivering scenes jarring enough to send shivers down the audience’s spine.

In the meanwhile, along with Khaleesi’s evolution, feminist outcry rose around the world as Emilia Clarke’s role became increasingly sexual and the show grew more perverse by exploiting the male gaze. But Clarke remained steadfast in the portrayal of her character – staying loyal to her arc in a manner befitting a queen. Years down the line, she was finally rewarded for her patience and for enduring the barrage of antifeminist labels thrown at her.

In an interview with Elle, Clarke revealed her initial reaction to a nude scene with Michiel Huisman that involved the actor having to strip down for once while she played the ever-elegant queen watching the scene unfold:

“It’s brilliant. 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 nude scenes and sex scenes. That, in itself, is so anti-feminist. 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!’”

Emilia Clarke’s eventual turn into the tyrannical Mad Queen led the viewers down an experience that is better left unspoken. The trauma delivered in the finale of what could have been the greatest show ever made still reflects in the lifeless looks shared by once-enthusiastic fans and echoes in empty spaces filled with the promise of unmade adaptations that are waiting to be ruined in one fell swoop after making the fans invest their blood, soul, and tears into its decade-long narrative arc.

Game of Thrones Creators Redeem Their Season 8 Fiasco

With the past behind them, Game of Thrones creators Dan Weiss and David Benioff have moved on to Netflix where their latest adaptation of the unadaptable novel titled The Three-Body Problem by Chinese science fiction author Liu Cixin has left a tolerable taste in the audience’s mouth. Although the Netflix series – 3 Body Problem – comes daringly close to being perfect, it may still not be enough to erase the irreparable damage done to the once great body of art left behind at HBO.

With the Netflix series adaptation, Benioff and Weiss prove their mettle in molding great texts into concise pieces of literature suitable for the screen. The question now remains whether the master adapters will return for a second chapter of the sci-fi series or end the project while it is still good and honorable.

Game of Thrones is available for streaming on MAX.