Citations

[on her role as Daenerys Targaryen on the Le Trône de fer (2011) series] Sometimes, I feel like the kid left out--the weirdo with the silver hair that no one likes to talk to.

[on her Le Trône de fer (2011) character] I felt for Daenerys. I felt for her situation as a woman. Being in such a male-dominated society, where she was being abused by the men around her--it was that sort of sympathy, I suppose it started off as that. But then as you track her story, the problems that she overcomes and the way that she deals with them with such grace and the way that she deals with them when she has no training. The only thing that she has is herself and her iron will--that's just a fabulous, incredible side to her character, really. And the fact that you watch her fall in love. You know, she meets the man that she loves more than anything else. She goes through painful events but she is still this strong, independent woman. And I think that, as a female, is what I really connected with.

One of the many things I love about Daenerys [from Le Trône de fer (2011)] is she's given me an opportunity to fly the flag for young girls and women, to be more than just somebody's wife and somebody's girlfriend.

Because of my white silver hair [playing Daenerys Targaryen on Le Trône de fer (2011)], I rarely get recognized in public. But once, when I was in L.A. in America, a couple of weeks ago and I was in a lift [elevator] in a department store while shopping and the doors opened and this woman stood there, looked at me and just went, Khaleesi! and then the doors closed! So, that was mental and bizarre and rarely happens, but when it does it's normally on that kind of crazy scale.

I looked around one stage school when I was maybe nine. It just scared the bejesus out of me. I was incredibly open, and the girls seemed fierce and determined.

Not to sound too much like an obnoxious actor, but the character never really leaves me. I've read all the "Game of Thrones" books many times over, so I sometimes find it easier being on set, because it can be hard to get out of character.

I told my parents I wanted to be an actor and they were getting ready for a life of unemployment so they're just happy I'm in work!

When I told my dad I wanted to be an actress, he replied that there was only one line I needed to learn: "Do you want fries with that?".

My father always said "Never trust anyone whose television is bigger than their bookshelf".

[on being unaware that the Terminator Genisys poster focuses on her butt] I wasn't thinking that they would chose my behind to promote the movie. I'm taking it as a compliment, that's all I'm saying.

[on her role as Sarah Connor] Let's see, there's driving a bus off a bridge, rolling out in an armored car, firing eight different kinds of weapons. It's just kicking some general butts, really.

[on not knowing that the photo for the Terminator: Genisys (2015) poster was being taken] I don't remember them taking that picture. I would have turned around and said, "What are you doing? What's that! Get that camera away from my butt!" I was looking at the poster thinking, "Who is that?" It's cool.

[on what it was like working with Arnold Schwarzenegger on Terminator: Genisys (2015)] Definitely quite surreal. Everything you know about him on screen he brings in real life as well.

[on Sarah Connor, the heroine from the Terminator franchise] The most iconic female action figure ever.

[on the classic movie Terminator (1984)] It's really scary.

[on her maternal grandmother's half-Indian ancestry] The fact that [my grandmother] had to hide her skin color, essentially [by wearing makeup], and try desperately to fit in with everyone else must've been incredibly difficult... So, yeah: history of fighters.

I saw the other side and I'm good.

[negative reactions from women about her nudity] I get a lot of crap for having done nudes scenes and sex scenes. That, in itself, is so antifeminist. Women hating on other women is just the problem.

[being considered sexy] It's weird. When people say you're the sexiest woman alive or whatever, you're like "Yeah, but we don't need to talk about it." It's nice, but I wish so much that I could be like Beyoncé and go, "Damn straight, check out my booty." But I can't because that's not who I am.

[being open to nude roles in the future] I definitely wouldn't say I won't do nudity again because there's loads in life.

[only getting offers for nude roles] For better or worse, people loved to talk about me being naked. That's the one thing that grinds my gears. It only happened in Game of Thrones a couple of times because it was part of the plot. I don't walk around naked all of the time.

[being nude in Game of Thrones] It's awesome. I don't have a body double: that's the size of my bottom and we've all seen it.

My mom had rules when I was growing up: Don't do drugs, don't have sex, and don't touch your eyebrows. So I got bullied as a kid for having ridiculous eyebrows. She said, 'You'll be thankful when you're older,' and I am. My mom used to tell me to brush them with Vaseline when I went to bed.

My father always told me - Never trust anyone whose TV is bigger than their bookshelf.

[performing naked] In drama, if a nude scene forwards a story or is shot in a way that adds insight into characters, I'm perfectly fine with it. Sometimes explicit scenes are required and make sense for the characters/story, as they do in Westeros. If it's gratuitous for gratuitous sake, then I will discuss with a director on how to make it more subtle. In either case, like a good Mother of Dragons, I'm always in control.