We've spent five seasons worshipping at her feet on Game of Thrones. But with Terminator Genisys around the corner we're ready to burst over our love for Emilia Clarke. How do we love her? Let us count the ways.

 

10. Clarke delivers BAMF lines like no other.

Playing true heir to the Iron Throne, Clarke gets some of the greatest speeches Game of Thrones has to offer. And though this British ingénue is petite (5'2"), she delivers these words of fire with cheers-inducing bravado. No wonder she earned an Emmy nod in 2013.

 

9. She's got glamour on Game of Thrones…

Whether riding with wild warriors, toppling slave masters or ruling with the might of her dragons behind her, Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen is always bringing scads of style to the world of Game of Thrones.

 

8. And on the red carpet.

She may go modest with her dresses and natural with her lovely brown locks, but Clarke's red-carpet looks are always fabulous and flawless.

 

 

 

 

 

7. But Clarke's not afraid to get down and dirty.

Whether that means baring her body or sinking her teeth into a horse's heart, count Clarke in.

 

6. Her funky chicken helped her land Game of Thrones.

Stranger than fiction but true, Clarke finished off her big Dany audition by busting out her best dance moves, which included the funky chicken and the robot.

 

5.  Clarke doesn't take herself too seriously.

She may do major drama as the Mother of Dragons. But when Kristen Wiig parodied the character on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Clarke was all giggles.

 

4.  She's not just the Mother of Dragons; she's the mother of John Connor.

Starring in Terminator Genisys, Clarke had some big shoes to fill, taking on the role originated by action icon Linda Hamilton (Terminator 2) and resurrected by Game of Thrones costar Lena Heady (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles). But from the looks of the film's thrilling trailers, Clarke is doing the Connor legacy proud in a big and beautiful way. She says "Come with me if you want to live," and we get goosebumps.

 

 

3. Clarke fearlessly follows in the footsteps of her idols.

Clarke grew up adoring Audrey Hepburn; so she leapt at the chance to play Holly Golightly when Breakfast at Tiffany's hit Broadway. "At first, everyone was telling me how brave I was," she said to The Wall Street Journal, "and I kept thinking, What are you talking about? Who would turn this down? This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, to be on Broadway playing this iconic role."

 

2. She gets starstruck just like us. Only better.

Clarke lost her cool in front of Channing Tatum in the best way possible. She explained, “Someone took a fantasy in my head and played it in real life. I was at a Golden Globes after-party and Channing F***ing Tatum came up to me, and his stunning missus, Jenna. And they said, ‘We call each other “moon of my life” and “my sun and stars” and all that.’ And I was like, ‘I cannot contain this. Please, can we all have something sexual together? You’re both beautiful, even just a hug.’”

 

1. She's a role model on-screen and off.

On TV, she encourages girls to dream big and be brave. “One of the many things I love about Daenerys from Game of Thrones," she told the L.A. Times, "is she’s given me an opportunity to fly the flag for young girls and women, to be more than just somebody’s wife and somebody’s girlfriend." Then for Red Nose Day, she embraced her silly side to benefit charity:

 

Terminator Genisys opens July 1.