This is why Emilia Clarke turned down 'Fifty Shades of Grey'

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ANI Hollywood
Last Updated : May 24 2019 | 3:06 PM IST

Actor Emilia Clarke turned down the famous part of Anastasia Steele in the 2015 film 'Fifty Shades of Grey' because of her role as Daenerys Targaryen in the insanely popular HBO show 'Game of Thrones'.

Clarke is no stranger to on-screen nudity because of her role in the hit show, which played a key factor in her decision to not take up the film as she didn't want to get "pigeonholed" for nude scenes.

In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the 32-year-old actor opened up about her decision to not play Steele in the 'Fifty Shades' franchise because of the reaction she received for her nude scenes on 'GoT'.

She explained that although she loved director Sam Taylor-Johnson's "beautiful" vision for the romantic drama, which is an adaptation of author E.L. James' novel of the same name, she eventually opted to not do the movie.

The film's story revolves around a college senior who gets into a BDSM relationship with a billionaire. Actor Dakota Johnson ultimately ended up doing the role.

"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," she said.

She went on to state that she was "sick and tired" of constantly being asked about her nude scenes.

"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 t--s, for God's sake," Clarke added.

She continued, "I did a minimal amount and I'm pigeonholed for life, so me saying yes to [Fifty Shades], 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'."

As Daenerys, Clarke appeared nude on screen for a few scenes throughout the HBO show, which aired its final episode on Monday. The most notable was a scene in season 6 when she escaped her Dothraki captors surrounded by flames, sans clothes.

The 'Me Before You' actor told Entertainment Weekly at that time that she was proud of her decision to do the scene.

"I'd like to remind people the last time I took my clothes off was season 3. That was a while 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," she said.

The actor will be next seen in the romantic comedy 'Last Christmas', which releases in November this year.

Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content

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First Published: May 24 2019 | 2:54 PM IST

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