The role of Sarah Connor in the Terminator films became the most recognizable and popular role of Linda Hamilton’s career. The character proved to be a strong and capable woman who was fearless, tough, and had a rebellious spirit. The second Terminator showed a completely different side of her compared to the more naive and innocent nature in the first film.
The character also underwent a drastic change in terms of her physicality and her determination. Hamilton herself wanted Sarah to be just as capable and do physical stunts and action as Arnold Schwarzenegger in the film. The actress underwent rigorous training to achieve the body that audiences see in the film.
Linda Hamilton Had a Grueling Body Transformation Process for Terminator 2
The first Terminator film was a big hit for director James Camron and it catapulted Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton‘s careers to new heights. When Cameron called up both actors for the sequel, Hamilton especially wanted a serious evolution to her character including a drastic change to her motivations and her appearance.
In 1991, Entertainment Weekly reported on Linda Hamilton’s rigorous training process for her return as Sarah Connor in Terminator 2. According to the outlet, the actress had just given birth to a new baby two weeks before her training started. The actress trained for three hours a day, six days a week, for 13 weeks and continued it when they were shooting for the film.
Hamilton did many aerobic exercises as part of the training along with weight lifting. She also underwent military training under a commando named Uzi Gal and also learned judo for the film’s action sequences. Her hard work and efforts paid off tremendously as Sarah Connor became the ultimate badass in the film and her physical transformation was a sight to behold.
Linda Hamilton Did Not Think She Would Ever Play Sarah Connor Again
Linda Hamilton played Sarah Connor in the first two Terminator films. After the sequel, she was absent from the other Terminator films that came after until 2019’s Terminator: Dark Fate. In an interview with Forbes, the actress opened up about playing the character after so many years and how she never wanted to get back into the character again.
The actress further explained how the aspect of the passage of time in the film intrigued and convinced her to return to the role. She said,
“Honestly, I was surprised that I returned at all. I never saw it coming. I hoped never to have to play Sarah Connor again. Here’s a woman who suffers so much, I did it well twice, and I never saw myself coming back to diminishing returns, but the passage of time intrigued me. For me, it was a one-shot deal.”
Unfortunately, Terminator: Dark Fate did not turn out to be the glorious return of the franchise that the makers had hoped. Even though the film was seen as the best Terminator film since Terminator 2, it flopped hard and made the future of the franchise uncertain.
