Emilia Clarke, 39, has publicly voiced her frustration with ageism in Hollywood, stating that the scarcity of roles for women as they age is a persistent worry. In an interview with Marie Claire UK, the "Game of Thrones" star candidly discussed the disparity in how the industry treats men and women regarding age and appearance.

"The difference, I think, is that still we in a society are going to criticize women faster than we will criticize men," Clarke mused. "Yeah that keeps me up at night."

She further commented on the unrealistic beauty standards prevalent in the industry, adding, "You want us to look the same? You want to just be a population of the same face and the same body? Come on, we're human! We're gonna change."

Clarke, who rose to international fame as Daenerys Targaryen in "Game of Thrones," also reflected on the decade she spent processing the trauma of two life-threatening brain hemorrhages. The first occurred in 2011, shortly after filming the show's first season, and a second followed in 2013. "When I was filming Game Of Thrones, I had zero curiosity about myself, about the experience, about anything. I was just in shock. I froze – for 10 years," she told the publication. Clarke noted that her first press tour for the show was undertaken while she was on morphine.

Earlier this year, Clarke also spoke about instances of a "lack of care" on other sets during her career, particularly concerning nude scenes, which she believes could have been avoided with more consideration. While praising "Game of Thrones" for its handling of such scenes, she indicated that other experiences had left her feeling unsafe.

Clarke has previously discussed experiencing "survivor's guilt" after her aneurysms, feeling as though she had defied death and shouldn't be alive. She also expressed concern that her health struggles might have impacted her acting ability, though she has since come to terms with her "Game of Thrones" experience.

"I have gone through every circuitous route to get to the place that I am now, which is finally being able to be very grateful for everything that Game of Thrones did and has given me," she said. "I no longer feel trapped in it, or trapped in the result of being in it, I feel just really lucky that it happened to me, even luckier that I've had time to understand what that was, and now I feel firmly on the other side."

Following her surgeries, Clarke also navigated the loss of her father to cancer.