Emilia Clarke has opened up about the “lack of care” she says she has sometimes encountered while filming nude scenes over the course of her career.
Earlier this year, Clarke spoke about sustaining an injury while shooting an explicit scene for the Peacock series Ponies, explaining that the day’s work left her with a broken rib.
Speaking with TheWrap back in January, Clarke said: “Three men, in a number of hours. Just keep bringing it — I’m going to sit on this thing, you’re going to bring them in, we’re going to pretend to have sex. I broke a rib that day.”
Her co-star, Haley Lu Richardson, backed up the claim, telling the outlet: “She really did. She’s such a tiny little sensitive body, meant she broke a rib.”
While Clarke has filmed multiple nude scenes throughout her career, she has previously spoken positively about how the team behind Game of Thrones handled intimate moments during production.
However, the 39-year-old says not every set has felt as considered. In a recent interview with Variety for the publication’s Power Of Women issue, Clarke discussed moments where she felt more support could have made a difference.
“I’ve experienced lack of care on other jobs which I think could have been prevented with some consideration,” Clarke said.
“I don’t want to specifically say [which roles]. There’s just been a number of occasions where I’ve been like: ‘This ain’t right’ And again, it’s not through someone abusing power; it’s through lack of thinking and care.”
Clarke remains best known for portraying Daenerys Targaryen in HBO’s Game of Thrones, a role that made her a global star.
During her years on the series, she also dealt with serious health issues, including two brain aneurysms that she has previously described as life-threatening.
“For a number of years, I felt that I had cheated death, and it was coming to get me,” Clarke said. “I truly felt like I had done something wrong, and I shouldn’t be here.”
“I also thought it ruined my ability to act, which some people might agree with!”
Looking back, Clarke said she has reached a point where she can appreciate what the show brought into her life and career, and feels she has gained perspective with time.
She continued to Variety: “I have gone through every circuitous route to get to the place that I am now, which is finally being able to be very grateful for everything that Game of Thrones did and has given me.
“I no longer feel trapped in it, or trapped in the result of being in it, I feel just really lucky that it happened to me, even luckier that I’ve had time to understand what that was, and now I feel firmly on the other side.”