'Game of Thrones' star on sexism in Hollywood: 'It's like dealing with racism'

— -- "Game of Thrones" star Emilia Clarke has never shied away from sharing her thoughts about being a woman in Hollywood.

But in a new interview for Rolling Stone, Clarke, 30, compares sexism in the industry to racism and says it has permeated her life.

When talking about the number of lines she has compared with her male co-stars, she said, "I feel so naive for saying it, but it's like dealing with racism."

"You're aware of it, but one day you go, 'Oh, my God, it's everywhere!' Like you suddenly wake up to it, and you go, 'Wait a f------ second, are you ... treating me different because I've got a pair of t---?'" she said. "'Is that actually happening?' It took me a really long time to see that I do get treated differently. But I look around, and that's my daily life."

Clarke acknowledges that her show features a fair amount of sex and nudity. But she says showing skin and being respected don't have to be mutually exclusive.

"It doesn't stop me from being a feminist," she said. "Like, guess what. Yes, I've got mascara on, and I also have a high IQ, so those two things can be one and the same."

Clarke's character, Daenerys Targaryen, intends to rule and oust Cersei Lannister, played by actress Lena Headey. Clarke believes "Thrones" could be a good influence on the current political climate.

"Women have been great rulers. And then for that to be a character that I'm known to play? That's so f------ lucky. Anyone who seems to think that it's not needed need only look at the political environment we're all living in to be like, 'Oh, no, it's needed. It is needed,'" she added.

She said her mother, Jennifer Clarke, set the tone as a powerful businesswoman "who just showed by example."

"It was never spelt out that I would have a harder time in life. My family put a fair amount of onus on wanting to expand your thinking as opposed to shrinking your bottom," Emilia Clarke said.