Actress Nathalie Emmanuel, who played Missandei on “Game of Thrones,” says that she often feels pressured to perform nude in other projects after appearing nude on the hit HBO show.
Speaking with Josh Smith on the “Make it Reign” podcast, Emmanuel lamented how producers now believe she is open to constantly performing nude after starring on “Game of Thrones.”
“When I did ‘Game of Thrones,’ I agreed toward certain nude scenes or nudity within the show,” she said, as reported by Fox News. “And the perception from other projects, when the role required nudity, that I was just open to do anything because I did it on that one show.”
“I’ve had people challenge me and be like, ‘But this part requires that,’ and I said, ‘That’s fine if you require that in the part; I don’t feel comfortable doing that level of nudity. I will do this amount, you know, I can do this, which I think is necessary for the part,'” she added.
Though the star said she is willing to walk away from certain projects if the producers do not meet her creative demands, she admitted that she rarely gets the kind of pushback that would force her into that situation.
“Nine times out of 10, people are much more solutions-based and want to come to a compromise,” she said.
Since “Game of Thrones,” Emmanuel joined the “Fast and Furious” franchise. Her lamentations about performing nude echo what actress Emilia Clarke said on the “Armchair Expert” in 2019.
“I learned it very early and I don’t look at anything at all ever, ever, ever, because when I did, after season one, I just saw articles about like how fat my a** was,” said Clarke, as reported by Fox News. “I was like: I’m a kid, man. Cut me some god**** slack.”
While Clarke never described her character’s nudity in the show as unnecessary, she did say that she is now pressured on sets to reveal her body more.
“Now things are very, very, very different and I’m a lot more savvy with what I’m comfortable with and what I am OK with doing,” Clarke said. “I’ve had fights on set before where I’m like, ‘No, the sheet stays up,’ and they’re like, ‘You don’t want to disappoint your ‘Game of Thrones’ fans.’ And I’m like, ‘F*** you.’”
Clarke credited actor Jason Momoa for taking care of her on set, saying he treated her like a human being. At one point, he demanded that somebody get her a robe after noticing her shivering in the cold.
“It was definitely hard,” she said. “Which is why the scenes, when I got to do [them] with Jason, were wonderful, because he was like, ‘No, sweetie, this isn’t OK.’ He was so kind and considerate and cared about me as a human being.”
Related: ‘Game of Thrones’ Star Emilia Clarke Says She Feels Pressured To Perform Nude Scenes