The Terminator franchise is synonymous with the name of Arnold Schwarzenegger, after all, it was he who helped make the film series as iconic as it is today. Starring as the main protagonist, his chiseled body and vascular physique were the epitome of strength and resilience, making his role even more legendary. However, it wasn’t just Schwarzenegger who had to be at the top of his game while shooting the film.
Robert Patrick, who starred as the formidable T-1000 in Terminator 2: Judgement Day, underwent an equally intense and unique training regimen to prepare for his role.
Robert Patrick Was Trained by an Israeli Commando for Terminator 2: Judgement Day
While Arnold Schwarzenegger is known best for being the face of the Terminator franchise and being the epitome of robotic strength and power, Robert Patrick, too, deserves high praise for the level of dedication he put into the role. Just like Schwarzenegger prepped up for his role, spending long hours at the gym bulking up his already impressive physique, Patrick, too, had to follow an extensive fitness regimen.
Years, after the film’s release, Patrick sat down with Metro to discuss how it was prepping up for such a legendary role.
I was 160lbs but I was in poor condition when I got that role. So they had to get me in condition. And I had some bad habits – that I’m not proud of – that had to go to the wayside.
Stated Patrick as he revealed how he was given special training by an Israeli Commando, who told him to ‘absorb ocean waves’ to get fit.
Uzi – an Israeli Special Forces commando – said, ‘You will go to the Santa Monica ocean, Santa Monica pier, and you will be there at four o’clock in the morning. You are to stand there and meditate and absorb the power of the ocean. You are liquid metal; you will absorb it.’ OK!
And so after getting rid of all the bad habits and routines, Patrick was then mentored by Uzi Gal— the Israeli Special Forces Commando. As one can expect, the training was hardly a walk in the park but one of the most brutal things Robert Patrick had to go through.
Robert Patrick’s Terminator 2: Judgement Day Was an Extremely Brutal Affair
Robert Patrick as T-1000, in contrast to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Terminator, was a menace to the franchise. His physicality, coupled with his steely demeanor, not to mention his iconic run, made the film even more memorable and set a high bar for brute cinematic villains.
As iconic as Patrick was as the evil robot, the actor had to undergo extensive grueling training at the hands of an Israeli Special Forces Commando. While the Commando made him absorb the energy of ocean waves to get fit, he also subjected him to extensive training that Patrick believed was similar to how Navy Seal trains.
And at some point in the darkness, he’d come up and tap me on the shoulder and say ‘T-1000, it’s time to run.’ He sounds a little bit like Arnold, doesn’t he? And we’d run and we’d run and it just progressed from there. Weights on my back, running knee-deep in water, in the sand, the sit-ups – it was brutal. Brutal, brutal training.
Stated Patrick to Metro about his training. However, that training, although cruel, helped make Patrick, as T-1000, stand out and he reckons that he ultimately ended up feeling like he was the baddest thing walking the earth.
Terminator 2: Judgement Day can be streamed on Netflix.
