In its annual contest of who's hottest, Esquire has thrown its allegiance behind House Targaryen, and has declared Emilia Clarke its Sexiest Woman Alive for 2015.

Clarke, the star of HBO fantasy series "Game of Thrones," joins some esteemed company on that list, whose ranks include past winners such as Angelina Jolie, Halle Berry, Scarlett Johansson, Rihanna, Mila Kunis, and Penelope Cruz. In an interview with the British bombshell, Esquire describes Clarke as a study in contrasts, which only amp up 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," the magazine writes of the actress. " ... Half pal, half dominatrix. Half kid sister, half sexy queen. The movie star who plays, in her real life, an anonymous, funny beauty. This is the gorgeous balance of Emilia Clarke.​"

Clarke didn't directly address the honor, though she did tell Esquire, "I'm trying everything I can not to be freaky" -- meaning she doesn't want "the star treatment go to her head," the magazine explains. Based on her warm, funny interview, we doubt it will, though we do think it's fair if she gloats a little bit; after all, the Mother of Dragons has earned her new title.

[via: Esquire]

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