The Stunningly Beautiful Emilia Clarke Wins ‘Esquire’ Sexiest Woman Alive 2015

The beautiful, sexy, and commanding white-haired Mother of Dragons, Daenerys Targaryen, and Khaleesi to the Dothraki, one of the most fierce and prideful warrior clans of the Game of Thrones universe. Emilia Clarke, the 28-year-old actress, owns all those titles, and GQ‘s Woman of The Year now has another title to add to her name, Esquire‘s Sexiest Woman Alive for the year 2015.

See all the photos from our #SexiestWomanAlive shoot with Emilia Clarke: http://t.co/fKgHfvfLF5 pic.twitter.com/9STY1EmlPl

— Esquire (@esquire) October 13, 2015

Over the summer she also became a big movie star when she played the iconic role of John Connor’s mother, Sarah Connor, in Terminator: Genysis. Sexiest Woman Alive for 2014 was the awe-inspiring Penelope Cruz, and her torch is being passed to a worthy actress. Emilia Clarke has become a force to be reckoned with and a woman who calls her own shots. In its accompanying article, Esquire notes the actress’ ability to seamlessly exist in all her roles as a huge contributing factor to her sex appeal.

“She manages to bring together a number of opposites, to make them natural: sweetness and toughness, emotionalism with a kind of cold-blooded determination. Something in these contrasts explains her sex appeal, too. She can play queen and kid sister, dominatrix and pal.”

Clarke became a fan favorite when she began her baby name-inspiring role of Khaleesi on Game Of Thrones in 2011, and Benjamin Markovits, in writing about her, cites that it is her professional ability to grin and bare it that also sets her apart. He was referencing the difficulties she endured playing certain scenes in season 1 of the show’s airing, specifically when she took a break from a scene that involved intense physical and emotional trauma to the character she played. As fans of Game of Thrones know, the series is raw, racy, and often offensive in their themes and scenes, but Emilia Clarke was not particularly used to such themes and Fox wrote about how, at one point, it really got to the 23-year-old her.

“Once, I had to take a little time out. I said I needed a cup of tea, had a bit of a cry, and was ready for the next scene.“

The HBO GOT series star is the second child to her parents and like them, she has had to work very hard for her success. Emilia Clarke’s parents are referred to as “by-the-bootstraps,” having earned their successful careers from humble beginnings; her mom rose to marketing executive from the position of secretary and her father started as a roadie before becoming a sound specialist for big budget musicals.

Emilia says she actually followed her brother to boarding school because she “fancied his friends.” After studying drama in college, she had a few short roles in Britain and lived with friends before landing her GOT role.

Esquire‘s Sexiest Woman Alive says she can recall a time when her father’s words and advice were for her to lower her expectations as an actress. Thankfully, she continued to pursue her craft, even working in a call center during her off times until the very day she was cast in the role of Daenerys in Game of Thrones. It is also noteworthy to mention that her performance as Sarah Connor in Terminator: Genysis speaks volumes about her ability to express an array of emotions. The comments regarding her demeanor and personality all point to her possessing a unique balance of ferocity, elegance, and sensuality.

The Esquire interview also wrote about how Clarke got her GOT role to begin with. Despite her character’s complete difference from her actual looks, the agent pitched her saying that he wants them to just give her a chance even though the character is tall, willowy, and blonde and she’s short, round, and brown. The two scenes she was given told Clarke nothing about the role, and having no time to read all the books she did something that truly makes her a child of this generation; she “Wikipedia’d the living crap out of it.” USA Today wrote how the desire for an actress that could grow with the arc contributed to her landing the role.

Lisa Hintelmann, editorial projects director for Esquire, referred to her as the hands down and most well rounded favorite on behalf of the team at Esquire. She has the ability her hands dirty and strikes a seamless balance of helping out and keeping a smile on your face. Esquire says Clarke is good at it. Her growth and firm establishment as a brilliant actress has given her the strength to declare that there will be no more nudity for any of her roles.

The Sexiest Woman Alive 2015 is certainly a title that Emilia Clarke has earned.

[Photo Courtesy of John Kopaloff/ Getty Images]