‘It’s Part of Life.’ Emilia Clarke Defends Game of Thrones Sex Scenes

Game of Thrones has drawn complaints and criticism for featuring a high volume of sex scenes — and rape scenes — in the six years since it first aired on HBO. But one of the show’s stars says audiences need to get over it.

In an interview with Harper’s Bazaar, Emilia Clarke (who plays Daenerys Targaryen) says she gets “really annoyed” by that line of criticism. “People say, ‘Oh, yeah, all the porn sites went down when Game of Thrones came back on.’ I’m like, ‘The Handmaid’s Tale?’ I fucking love that show, and I cried when it ended because I couldn’t handle not seeing it. That is all sex and nudity. There are so many shows centered around this very true fact that people reproduce.” She continued, “People fuck for pleasure — it’s part of life.”

Whether audiences like it or not, they can probably expect more sex scenes featuring Clarke herself when the series returns for its final season in 2018 or 2019.

[Harper’s Bazaar]