We often hear stories about Hollywood casting, where actors almost landed famous roles. But what we have here today, is a little intriguing, as it involves James Cameron’s Terminator franchise. According to the actor Michael Biehn, who played Kyle Reese, Cameron initially had The Police frontman Sting on his mind for his role.
Willing to see the 72-year-old actor/musician fill in the role of the protagonist and Sarah Connor’s protector, in Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Terminator franchise, James Cameron made the weird pick because of his “unearthly quality”. But unfortunately, the actor refused to star in the crucial role and eventually, it went to Michael Biehn.
Michael Biehn Wasn’t James Cameron’s First Choice
Although Michael Biehn turned out to be the perfect casting for Kyle Reese, he wasn’t the initial choice for the role. Apparently, when James Cameron had been casting actors, he made a rather intriguing choice of seeking The Police frontman Sting for the role. Perhaps, Cameron saw something in the actor that others failed to see through.
According to Michael Biehn, who recently appeared on the Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum Podcast, to share interesting behind-the-scenes titbits from the original 1984 sci-fi horror classic, the actor revealed how James Cameron wanted Sting to play Kyle Reese. Before the role went to Biehn who later turned out to be a fan-favorite, the acclaimed filmmaker approached the 72-year-old actor.
“I think originally [James Cameron] wanted Sting because he thought Sting had this unearthly quality about him.”
Michael Biehn claimed that perhaps the 72-year-old actor’s “unearthly quality” is what made him James Cameron’s first choice for The Terminator’s male lead. But, unfortunately, despite the director’s adamant desire to cast The Bride actor, he blatantly refused the crucial role in Arnold Schwarzenegger’s million-dollar franchise.
Sting Refused to Play Kyle Reese in The Terminator
Recalling the time when James Cameron sought the 72-year-old actor/musician to play the role of Kyle Reese, Michael Biehn discussed why exactly the star turned down the offer. Addressing what the Bee Movie actor said, Biehn noted the reason for his refusal during the Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum Podcast.
“I think he met with Sting, and I think Sting basically said, ‘Yeah, I just saw Piranha 2. I think I’ll take a pass on this thing.’ Something along those lines.”
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Disclosing what the actor/musician said, Michael Biehn went on to discuss how serious James Cameron was about casting the 72-year-old. Stating that the director never associated any other actor but Sting with the role of the protagonist in Arnold Schwarzenegger‘s Terminator franchise, Biehn admitted after the Zoolander 2 actor turned down the offer, it went straight to him.
“I’m not sure how serious Jim was about him. I’ve never heard any other name associated with Kyle Reese.”
Eventually, it’s quite understandable why the 72-year-old actor/musician refused James Cameron’s offer after watching Piranha 2: The Spawning. There’s a reason, even Cameron likes to avoid that movie and refers to The Terminator as his first film.
