The 'Game of Thrones' star insists she had no problem with nudity in the R-rated film, but she feared that she's unable to cope with the pressure of playing Anastasia Steele.

• May 18, 2018

AceShowbiz - Emilia Clarke walked away from the "Fifty Shades of Grey" movies out of fear she'd be unable to cope with the pressure of playing Anastasia Steele. The actress, who has bared all multiple times on "Game of Thrones", insists the nudity and sex scenes in the adaptations of E.L. James erotic novels had nothing to do with her decision to exit the project - she just knew the role, which was eventually snapped up by Dakota Johnson, would be a big deal.

"It genuinely wasn't a nudity thing," she tells The Hollywood Reporter. "I just knew the enormity of what that was... and I just didn't think I could take that."

She wasn't the only star to bail on the film. Fellow Brit Charlie Hunnam also walked away from the role of Christian Grey due to scheduling issues. He was replaced by Irish actor Jamie Dornan.

Clarke also tells the outlet she has always struggled to talk about her nudity in "Game of Thrones". "The volume of interest in the fact that I took my clothes off is astonishing to me," she adds. "(I) didn't go up on stage and go, 'What up guys? Check out these guys (breasts)!' That didn't happen. I took on a character, and the character had things happen to her."

"It is something that I get asked more than any other question. It genuinely is something that I find really difficult handling."

Meanwhile, Emilia, who appears in the new "Star Wars" movie "Solo: A Star Wars Story", reveals she has signed up for multiple films in the ongoing sci-fi franchise, but she's not sure she will actually make another appearance as Qi'ra. "I think it's like an insurance thing," she explains with a smile.