Game of Thrones season 6: Emilia Clarke 'pained' by 'anti-feminist spin' directed at show

'What’s beautiful about Game of Thrones – it’s depiction of women in so many different stages of development'

Emilia Clarke says she is more savvy now than when she first played Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones (HBO)

Emilia Clarke has revealed that it "pains" her to hear that people think Games of Thrones is sexist.

"There’s so much controversy. Yet that’s what’s beautiful about Game of Thrones – it’s depiction of women in so many different stages of development," Clarke told Entertainment Weekly. "There are women depicted as sexual tools, women who have zero rights, women who are queens but only to a man, and then there are women who are literally unstoppable and as powerful as you can possibly imagine."

"So it pains me to hear people taking Thrones out of context with anti-feminist spin – because you can’t do that about this show. It shows the range that happens to women and ultimately shows women are not only equal, but have a lot of strength."

What Clarke's comments illuminate is that there's certainly no straightforward answer when it comes to Game of Thrones' depiction of women. It seems unreasonable not to expect some level of debate to strike when sexual violence is so bracingly used, occasionally diverting from the books for increased shock.

That said, it's Game of Thrones that bears home to some of TV's most fascinating, complex, and driven women; from warriors Brienne and Arya, to the politically astute Margaery Tyrell and Cersei Lannister, it's a show that still puts the concerns and ambitions of its women at the forefront, and it seems unfair for it to be entirely dismissed due to individual problems.

Indeed, Clarke's own Daenerys Targaryen is proving one of Westeros' most formidable presences, with the actor elaborating on what the future may hold for her; "this season it feels like she’s learning the last lesson she needs to learn. She’s not being swayed by anyone. She knows what’s what. There’s just few remnants of being a human being that she’s shaking off."

In the US, season six will debut on HBO on the 24 April at 9pm. It will be simulcast in the UK on Sky Atlantic, at 2am on the 25 April. You can read about everything we know so far on the series here.