About halfway through Game of Thrones’ run, Emilia Clarke starred in a popular franchise that could’ve led to her being a major movie star. However, her experience making the movie was so awful that she was relieved when it bombed at the box office. Years before this, Clarke had a much better experience when she joined the aforementioned Game of Thrones franchise. Back when HBO’s hit fantasy series premiered in 2011, it wasn’t a franchise at all. In fact, Clarke was one of the actors that helped turn Game of Thrones into one of the biggest shows in the world.

Clarke played Daenerys Targaryen in all eight seasons of Game of Thrones. Throughout the show’s run, her Game of Thrones character earned nicknames such as “Breaker of Chains” and “Mother of Dragons,” and became an iconic TV show character. The success of Game of Thrones led Clarke to appear in other major franchises, such as Star Wars and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. She has also appeared in romance films such as Me Before You and Last Christmas. In 2015, Clarke also starred Terminator Genisys, and it seems like shooting this film was the worst experience of her professional career.

Emilia Clarke Could’ve Had Another Major Franchise Alongside (& After) Game Of Thrones

Clarke Joined The Terminator Franchise While Game Of Thrones Was Still Running

Four years into Game of Thrones’ run, Clarke switched genres and starred in Terminator Genisys. Terminator Genisys was the fifth movie in the long-running science fiction series, and was meant to reboot the franchise. Six years after Terminator Salvation was not received well by critics and audiences, Terminator Genisys was meant to usher in a new era for the franchise. Therefore, joining the cast of Terminator Genisys seemed like an exciting step for Clarke’s career, and gave her a chance to star in a franchise outside of Game of Thrones.

Terminator Movies
Worldwide Box Office
RT Critics Score

The Terminator (1984)
$78,371,200
100%

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
$517,778,573
91%

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003)
$433,371,112
70%

Terminator Salvation (2009)
$371,353,001
33%

Terminator Genisys (2015)
$440,603,537
26%

Terminator: Dark Fate (2019)
$261,119,292
70%

Initially, there were high hopes for Terminator Genisys, as it was bringing back Arnold Schwarzenegger as a different version of the T-100. Terminator Genysis was set in a new timeline and had different actors portraying iconic characters such as Sarah Connor and Kyle Reese. In the film, Clarke played Sarah Connor, the main character of the first two Terminator movies. Since it was set in a new timeline, Terminator Genisys attempted to honor the franchise’s past while also setting up future films. Unfortunately, Terminator Genisys was not well-received, and has a score of 26% on Rotten Tomatoes (via Rotten Tomatoes).

Why Terminator Genisys Failed & Why Emilia Clarke Was Relieved

Clarke Did Not Enjoy Making Terminator Genisys

Reviews for Terminator Genisys point out that the plot of the film, which was focused on time travel and alternate realities, is far too confusing. Additionally, the film did not spend enough time developing its characters. Even though characters like Sarah Connor and Kyle Reese appeared in previous Terminator movies, they are played by new actors in Terminator Genisys and basically seem like new characters. However, Terminator Genisys hardly spends any time making sure audiences care about these characters, or any other characters in the movie.

In addition to the many problems with Terminator Genisys’ story, Clarke reportedly did not enjoy her time filming the movie. In a 2018 interview with Vanity Fair, Clarke admitted that “no one had a good time” on the set of Terminator Genisys. Reportedly, the crew of the critically-panned Fantastic Four reboot, which was also filming at the same time, actually had jackets that read, “At Least We’re Not On Terminator.” This makes it clear that filming Terminator Genisys was a terrible time for all involved, which is why Clarke was relieved when the movie bombed at the box office.

Emilia Clarke Has Had Attempts At Other Major Franchises

Clarke Has Appeared In Star Wars & The MCU

Even though Clarke did not have a good experience filming Terminator Genisys, it did not stop her from joining other major franchises. Just three years after Terminator Genisys, Clarke starred in perhaps the most popular science fiction franchise of all time. In 2018, Clarke starred as Qi’ra in Solo: A Star Wars Story. Solo was the second Star Wars spinoff film that was made after Disney purchased Lucasfilm in 2012, and was centered on a young Han Solo.

Clarke’s experiences with Terminator, Star Wars, and the MCU prove that she doesn’t have the best luck when it comes to franchises.

Even though Han Solo is one of the best Star Wars characters, the film was not loved by a lot of fans and Clarke has not appeared in the franchise again. After betraying Han at the end of Solo: A Star Wars Story, the film teased that Qi’ra would work with Darth Maul, which would have been an interesting direction for Clarke’s character. The film set up many possibilities for a potential sequel. However, seven years after its release, it seems unlikely that a sequel to Solo will ever be made.

Even though Solo 2 has not been made, Clarke joined another major Disney franchise in 2023. Clarke played G’iah in Secret Invasion, an MCU Disney+ show. Secret Invasion follows Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury, who fights against a faction of Skrulls that are trying to take over Earth. By the end of Secret Invasion, G’iah becomes arguably the most powerful character in the MCU. However, the show was not received well by fans, and Clarke’s character has not appeared in any other MCU projects.

What Is Emilia Clarke Doing Next?

Clarke Will Appear In An Upcoming Prime Video Show

Clarke’s experiences with Terminator, Star Wars, and the MCU prove that she doesn’t have the best luck when it comes to franchises. While it’s unlikely that she will ever reprise her Star Wars role, it’s possible that she will return as G’iah. Given G’iah’s power level, it would actually make sense for her to appear in upcoming MCU movies like Avengers: Dommsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. However, since fans didn’t react well to her character, this may be unlikely. Time will tell whether Clarke will reprise her MCU role. In the meantime, the actor has several other projects lined up.

Clarke is set to star in Criminal, an upcoming Prime Video series that is based on a Marvel/Image comic book of the same name and follows multiple crime families. Clarke currently does not have many film roles lined up, but she does voice a character in the upcoming 2025 animated movie Twits. Therefore, even though Emilia Clarke hasn’t always had the best luck with some of her roles, it is clear that she is still an actor fans should be on the lookout for in future movies and shows.