Emilia Clarke is "frustrated" with female characters being labelled as "strong".

Emilia Clarke

Emilia Clarke

The 31-year-old actress - who plays Kira in the new 'Solo: A Star Wars Story' - has rubbished the use of the term "strong women" in the movie industry, calling it sexist.

Speaking in an interview with Variety magazine, she said: "I'm gonna tell you what it feels like to play a woman, the end, that's it. Take the 'strong' out of it. Find another adjective, damn it.

"If it's not strong, what is it? Are you telling me there's another option, that there's a weak option? You think a lead in a movie is going to be a weak woman? It just doesn't even bear having the conversation, so enough already with the strong women, please."

The 'Game of Thrones' star went on to point out that male leads didn't get branded with the same adjective unless they looked physically fit.

She continued: "You don't get strong men unless they're like physically strong men, so unless I'm packing guns I don't know about, then let's change that."

On what she would like to be referred to instead, Emilia explained: "Let's just be women or how does it feel to play a female lead in a blockbuster movie or how does it feel to play someone with power."

Emilia's comments come after she claimed she was "shocked" to hear about pay inequality issues in the industry, as she has never experienced gender inequality when it comes to how much she earns on 'Game of Thrones'.

The actress - who stars as Daenerys Targaryen in the hit HBO fantasy drama - said: "On 'Game of Thrones,' I have always been paid the same amount as my male co-stars.

"It was my first job and I was not discriminated against because I was a woman, in my pay cheque."


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