Emilia Clarke's climactic nude scene on this week's 'Game of Thrones' was shot in two different countries to protect her privacy
Warning: This posts contains spoilers for the "Game of Thrones" episode "Book of the Stranger."
On the most recent episode of "Game of Thrones," entitled "Book of the Stranger," Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) literally burned down the house.
To escape captivity in Vaes Dothrak, Daenerys used her resistance to fire to both kill her captors and win over the remaining Dothraki people, who kneeled down to her as she emerged from the flames unscathed.
The scene, in which Daenerys walks out of a burning building completely naked, was complicated to film. According to Entertainment Weekly, it was shot in two different countries.
"It's one of those weird scenes, because it was half shot in Spain, half in Belfast [Northern Ireland]," co-creator David Benioff told EW.
The reason for this unconventional setup was to accommodate Clarke. The part of the scene involving nudity was shot on a "closed set," which productions use for particularly sensitive or private scenes like this one. With some special effects, the two halves of the scene - the other one being the part featuring crowds of the Dothraki - were brought together.
"Taking off my clothes is not the easiest thing, but with the magic of the effects, I don't have to do a season 1 and go on a cliff and do it," Clarke said. "I'm in control of it."
She was referring to scenes early on in the show in which she actually had to get naked in front of everyone. One such scene, in which her dragons hatch, mirrors the most recent episode.
"Game of Thrones" continues to be one of the most ambitious television shows out there. In order to bring its sprawling fantasy world to life, the show shoots on location all across the planet, from Iceland to Morocco.
The luxury afforded in shooting this scene is one of the benefits of having a budget of $10 million per episode.