Emilia Clarke Says She Doesn’t Need to Justify Doing Nude Scenes for ‘Game of Thrones’

On Game of Thrones, Emilia Clarke plays a literal barrier-busting queen, and the actress herself is just badass IRL as her Khaleesi persona has proved to be in the Seven Kingdoms.

Most recently, Clarke channeled Daenerys Targaryen in a powerful new essay titled “The New Sexy,” she penned for the Huffington Post U.K. in honor of its “All Women Everywhere” project. In it, she got real about gender equality.

Specifically, Clarke called out those who are looking for her to provide an explanation about her role as Khaleesi, as it relates to scenes in which she has appeared naked.

“If you’ve watched Game of Thrones then, spoiler, you will have seen me in the nude,” she wrote. “There are plenty of ways in which people want me to respond to questions about this fact. And plenty of reasons why I do not feel the need to justify myself.”

Preach, Khaleesi. And just like her character, Clarke said she’s intent on using her position in the spotlight to help other women achieve equality.

“Now I don’t know about you, but there are days where I feel like a guilty feminist,” the actress wrote. “What am I actually doing every day to stand up for women’s rights? What can I take part in, against hate and oppression, to ensure that the women’s movement continues, and strengthens and grows? … As my best friend would put it, I am a girl-boss, and I am in an industry where if I speak out against inequality I have a platform and might be lucky enough to have a chance of being heard. The roles I’ve played have given me an insight into what it feels like to be a woman who stands up to inequality and hate and stands out as a feminist.”

This isn’t the first time that Clarke has spoken out about how her character is an empowering figure for women. Last year, she told Glamour that she’s proud the women she’s met have told her that Khaleesi makes them feel powerful.

“If you look at Game of Thrones on face value—blood, tits, dragons, swear words—you’re like, Oh, this must be for guys,” Emilia Clarke said. “But if you take that away, the story lines are fascinating depictions of the struggle for power. And women are in on that conversation!”