Hollywood is full of behind-the-scenes stories, some amazing and others downright disastrous. The latter is how Emilia Clarke felt about working on Terminator Genisys, where she teamed up with director Alan Taylor, who was at the helm of several episodes in Game of Thrones.
It should have been a dream reunion, but none of them have good things to say about the experience. So, what happened between their successful Game of Thrones run and a movie that turned out to be a critical misfire? Let’s break it down.
Emilia Clarke in Game of Thrones | HBO
Emilia Clarke and Alan Taylor on the Terminator Genisys disaster
Emilia Clarke in Terminator: Genisys | Paramount Pictures
Emilia Clarke’s leap from Westeros to the Terminator franchise could have been a career-defining moment. However, the Alan Taylor directorial turned out to be one of her most regrettable projects yet. In an interview with Vanity Fair, Clarke didn’t mince her words about the experience and said that the filmmaker was:
Eaten and chewed up on Terminator. He was not the director I remembered. He didn’t have a good time. No one had a good time.
Clarke made it known that she was “relieved” to find out the movie hadn’t done well because now, she wouldn’t have to return for a sequel. Taylor told The Hollywood Reporter about how he was initially excited about the project due to the chance of working with Arnold Schwarzenegger and reviving James Cameron’s legendary franchise.
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His girlfriend warned him against it, but despite the red flags, he took the job and regretted it deeply. By the end of it all, Taylor had “lost the will to live as a director.” The backlash hit him hard, and the movie didn’t turn out the way he envisioned, which significantly brought his morale down.
Their Game of Thrones collaboration: Where Alan Taylor made Emilia Clarke Shine
Emilia Clarke in Game of Thrones | HBO
Before the Terminator Genisys nightmare, Alan Taylor and Emilia Clarke had a far more successful creative partnership on Game of Thrones. The former directed a total of six episodes across the first two seasons, and some of them included Daenerys Targaryen’s most defining moments.
Among his most notable contributions was episode 10 of season 1, titled Fire and Blood, which featured the now-legendary scene where Daenerys’ dragons are born. Taylor’s contribution in shaping Clarke’s character was immense as she transformed from a frightened woman to a powerful leader.
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His work on episodes like Baelor and Valar Morghulis further cemented her Daenerys as a fan favorite, as he could showcase emotional depth using stunning visuals. But this trust and creative synergy had evaporated by the time they reached Terminator Genisys, which trapped them in a blockbuster with little room for artistry.
You can watch Terminator Genysis on Paramount+ and Game of Thrones on HBO Max.
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