Video: Courtesy Paramount Pictures
Emilia Clarke is no stranger to fighting the good fight. As everyone's favorite Mother of Dragons, Daenerys Targaryen on Game of Thrones, she's conquered everything in her path while hardly even breaking a sweat. That fearless attitude seems to be serving her well in her latest role as the iconic Sarah Connor in Terminator Genisys, hitting theaters on July 1.
In this exclusive teaser video from Paramount Pictures, Clarke shares some insight on the enigmatic Sarah Connor, including how this new incarnation of the character veers away from the depiction in James Cameron's original 1984 Terminator film. "Initially, it's the story we know: Kyle is sent back to find Sarah Connor and save her life," Clarke explains. "But the beauty of Terminator Genisys is that Kyle Reese finds a very different Sarah Connor."
Indeed he does: In the world of Genisys, we're first introduced to the new (and some might say improved) version of Sarah Connor as she peers through an open car door while simultaneously driving and defending herself against enemy terminators. Connor implores Reese (played by Jai Courtney), "Come with me if you want to live!"
That's right, in the latest imagining of the dystopian saga, it's Sarah herself — not a killer robot or the time-traveling soldier sent to protect her — who utters the now infamous line from the original Terminator films.
So, what's going on with Sarah when we meet her this time? Turns out that Skynet, the nefarious company responsible for creating dangerously self-aware computer systems, sent a terminator back in time to kill our heroine's parents. (Oof, Skynet. That's just cold.)
"It's interesting for Sarah, because she maintains traits we see in Terminator 2, but she discovered them at a much younger age," Clarke says of her strong character. "She was brought up by a terminator, so she's grown up as a warrior."
The terminator in question who raised our heroine and appears right by her side when Reese finds her? Why, it's the original T-800 Series Model — played by none other than Arnold Schwarzenegger — of course. Only this time, Sarah is no timid waitress running in fear. She's a strong, independent woman prepared to fight for her survival, the survival of her future son, and the surivival of the human race. We can't wait.