Emilia Clarke Shrugs Off 4 Franchise Misfires, Says Game of Thrones Ending Left No Regrets
Updated
Updated · Gizmodo · May 29
Emilia Clarke Shrugs Off 4 Franchise Misfires, Says Game of Thrones Ending Left No Regrets
4 articles · Updated · Gizmodo · May 29
Variety’s new interview finds Emilia Clarke dismissing backlash over four high-profile projects — Game of Thrones, Solo, Terminator Genisys and Secret Invasion — saying their failures were not personal.
Clarke said she joined already established franchises and had little control over whether they worked, joking of Secret Invasion that “no one liked that show” and calling Terminator Genisys something that “should never have happened.”
On Game of Thrones, she said she had no real creative control over Daenerys Targaryen’s controversial final arc beyond her performance, though she still praised creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss as “geniuses.”
Those setbacks have made her more selective about future roles, she said, adding that she has turned down many offers and is now waiting for “the right thing.”
Clarke said she no longer feels trapped by Thrones or its ending, framing the series as a career-defining opportunity she now views with gratitude rather than baggage.
Are movie stars now irrelevant in big franchises if even Emilia Clarke cannot save a project with a bad script?
Is an actor's pivot to 'well-being' after franchise flops a genuine choice or simply a career-saving necessity?