Emilia Clarke Had the Best Reason for Turning Down a Now-Iconic Film Role
Emilia Clarke is opening up about her decision to turn down the role of Anastasia Steele in Fifty Shades of Grey, and it’s a doozy.
The Game of Thrones star, 32, recently sat down for an interview with The Hollywood Reporter and revealed that she was concerned about being labeled as a nudity actress when she auditioned for the film adaptation.
Clarke explained that she previously did nude scenes for GoT, and while it was strictly a character choice, she hasn’t been able to break free of the dishabille stereotype. With this in mind, the actress turned down the highly coveted role in Fifty Shades of Grey, though she respected director Sam Taylor-Johnson’s vision.
“Well, Sam is a magician. I love her, and I thought her vision was beautiful. But the last time that I was naked on camera on [Game of Thrones] was a long time ago, and yet it is the only question that I ever get asked because I am a woman,” Clarke said. “And it’s annoying as hell, and I’m sick and tired of it because I did it for the character—I didn’t do it so some guy could check out my tits, for God’s sake.”
Clarke went on to say that her experience with GoT is the reason she couldn’t move forward with the E.L. James franchise, adding, “I did a minimal amount and I’m pigeonholed for life, so me saying yes to that, where the entire thing is about sensuality and sex and being naked and all of that stuff, I was just like, ‘No way am I going to voluntarily walk into that situation.’ And then never be able to look someone in the eye and be like, ‘No, you can’t keep asking me this question.’”
You tell ’em, Daenerys.
