Despite being in his late 70s, Arnold Schwarzenegger is showing no signs of getting away from getting his hands dirty in action sequences. Most recently, Schwarzenegger showed his fighting skills in FUBAR, a television series about a CIA operative on the edge of retirement.
The action genre is certainly special for the bodybuilder turned actor, who has managed to script an incredible acting career filled with plenty of action scenes and very limited dialogues. If there’s one movie that perfectly encapsulates his acting style and its success, it’s The Terminator.
The action sci-fi effectively utilized Schwarzenegger’s talents and shed light on his immense potential as a lead in the genre. The success of the first movie eventually led to Terminator 2: Judgment Day, which was an even bigger success. However, before the final cut, it included a scene that would’ve ended the franchise in just two chapters.
Terminator 2’s Original Ending Would’ve Ended the Franchise
Terminator 2: Judgment Day sees Arnold Schwarzenegger‘s reprogrammed robot transform into a protagonist. Terminator takes it upon himself to fight T-1000 when John, Sarah’s 10-year-old son is attacked by the new robot.
Most of Terminator 2 is about John and Sarah trying to get away from the T-1000. In the end, as T-1000 tries to lure John by assuming Sarah’s appearance, he’s pushed into a vat of molten steel by Sarah and the reactivated T-800. Despite John’s protests, Schwarzenegger’s robot also decides to destroy itself to protect their future.
Sarah reflects on her renewed hope for an unknown future and wonders how humanity could learn from the T-800. However, James Cameron initially had a more definitive ending in his mind.
In this version, Linda Hamilton (Sarah) is shown in a park with badly done old-age makeup, watching an adult John play with his daughter. Sarah mentions Judgement Day didn’t happen and John became a U.S. senator. This conclusive but corny ending would’ve most probably ended the possibility of more Terminator movies.
However, it’s understood (via Screen Rant) Mario Kassar, lead producer on the sequel, convinced Cameron to consider changing it and leaving the franchise open for continuation.
Arnold Schwarzenegger Played a Cringe Character in Terminator 3’s Initial Cut
The idea of infusing human emotions into Terminator certainly played a big part in the titular character’s popularity, but Jonathan Mostow came close to pushing the boundary too far in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.
In one particular scene, the director showed the otherwise straight-faced Schwarzenegger exploring his comedic side as Sgt. William Candy. The soldier was used as the physical model for the artificial skin of the Model 101. However, he was so cringe that even Cyberdyne executives criticized his jovial Southern accent.
Fortunately, the Candy character and scene were later dropped from the movie, saving Schwarzenegger from becoming a subject of laughter.
