# The “innocence and optimism” that led Emilia Clarke to the biggest mistake of her career: “I can do it all!”

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/the-innocence-and-optimism-that-led-emilia-clarke-to-the-biggest-mistake-of-her-career-i-can-do-it-all/
- Published: 2026-10-28T07:00:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-28T07:54:34+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/emilia-clarke-on-making-biggest-mistake-of-her-career/
- Topics: Entertainment, Film

## Key points

- Clarke accepted the Sarah Connor role despite friends’ concerns.
- She later called her confidence “innocence and optimism”.
- *Terminator Genisys* earned about $440 million worldwide.

## Summary

Emilia Clarke has said she took the role of Sarah Connor in 2015’s *Terminator Genisys* because she trusted her instincts and thought, “I can do it all”. She later described that optimism as innocence, despite friends warning her about the pressure of following Linda Hamilton’s celebrated performance.

The article presents the film as a poorly received reboot that confused viewers, though it earned about $440 million at the box office, roughly $100 million more than *Terminator Salvation*. The role did not stop Clarke from landing another major franchise part: she later appeared in *Solo: A Star Wars Story*, which also drew poor reviews but made substantial box-office revenue.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.