Emilia Clarke reveals costume double standard between men and women on 'Game of Thrones'

Emilia Clarke has revealed there was a double standard in terms of costumes on Game of Thrones, with men given more ways to keep cool.

The 33-year-old star, who played Daenerys Targaryen throughout the entire run of the show, revealed that some of the male members of the cast were able to remain more comfortable when filming in warm locations.

She explained at the Edinburgh TV Festival that the men playing members of the Night’s Watch had a special “cooling system” in their costumes.

Read more: Carice Van Houten questioned Thrones nude scenes

Clarke said the Night’s Watch actors — including Kit Harington as Jon Snow — were effectively wearing a “woolly mammoth” all day and so needed a way to keep cool.

When Daenerys had to wear fur coats and bulky outfits, though, the same system was not available.

She added: “When we were shooting things in a hot country when they had all of those things on, they had this pump that had its own little generator attached into the costumes.

“They used it to pump cold water into these pipes and cool them all down so underneath they had this weird kind of cooling system.

“But girls weren't allowed that. All I could get was the back of my wig to be lifted up.”

Read more: Thrones tops poll of disappointing TV finales

Clarke has spoken out before about sexism on the set of Game of Thrones, explaining that she felt pressured to do nude scenes in the first season.

Co-star Nathalie Emmanuel, who played Missandei, revealed that Clarke spoke up for her when an extra made a sexist comment.

Clarke portrayed Daenerys from the beginning of Game of Thrones in 2011 through to the divisive final season, which concluded in May 2019.

The star said she was “heartbroken” by the response to the final season, which was savaged by fans.

Read more: Thrones stars puzzled by fan fury

Earlier this year, however, she admitted that the show could have “spun it out for a little longer” in order to avoid allegations that the story was rushed.

Following Game of Thrones, Clarke appeared alongside Henry Golding in the festive romcom Last Christmas, which overcame negative critical reviews to become a box office hit.