James Cameron is one of the top-tier directors who is highly known for his innovation in filmmaking. He is often seen experimenting and playing with new tricks to add creativity to his movies. The Avatar mastermind also made headlines after implementing a unique trick during the filming of Terminator 2: Judgement Day. The sequel to the 1984 movie that kicked off the franchise saw James Cameron using actual twins to portray scenes involving the same actors in multiple roles.
The Terminator is one of the most iconic franchises starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton in the lead. Facts say that Linda Hamilton’s sister Leslie Hamilton also had a major contribution to the movie.
How did James Cameron make Terminator 2 more special?
Recently the 68-year-old filmmaker made numerous headlines after the release of his Avatar: The Way of Water. The sequel to one of the most successful movies featured underwater shots that elevated the movie’s quality to astronomical levels. But it is not the first time James Cameron has shown himself to be much more than a mere director.
Cameron’s love for innovation can be traced to Terminator 2: Judgement Day where he ditched the classic approach of shooting sequences having a single actor playing many roles. Instead, he thought of using the actors’ twins to pull that off. In a scene when the shape-shifting T-1000 takes the form of Linda Hamilton’s Sarah Connor, the actress’ identical twin sister Leslie Hamilton entered the narrative.
The T-1000 robot was sent by Skynet from the future to kill the future leader of the human resistance. It is not the only instance where Cameron used this trick. In a similar scene where the T-1000 takes the form of a mental hospital security guard, twin actors Don and Dan Stanton were used.
However, T-1000 was originally played by Robert Patrick in the James Cameron directorial. According to reports, he was not the first choice for the role and there were several different ideas before Patrick entered the picture.
Robert Patrick was not the first choice for T-1000
The Titanic director initially thought of the British singer Billy Idol to portray the role of the Terminator T-1000. But a motorbike accident caused the singer to miss the $520 Million blockbuster. Soon after Idol’s exit, James Cameron even considered bringing back the Kyle Reese actor Michael Biehn for the role.
Interestingly, the widely controversial Steven Seagal was also thought of being added to the franchise. The list goes long as Arnold Schwarzenegger had a personal recommendation, the WASP band singer Blackie Lawless. Unfortunately, it was also turned down for being too tall. In one instance, even Schwarzenegger was considered for portraying both the roles of T-800 and T-1000. Ultimately, Cameron spotted Robert Patrick in a minor role in Die Hard 2 which led to his addition to the cast of Terminator 2: Judgement Day.
Even though there were several sequels, Terminator 2 set the ultimate standard that none of the sequels could reach. Although the sixth installment titled Terminator: Dark Fate gained a better reception, the box office disappointment ensured the uncertainty of the franchise’s future. It is highly debatable if the James Cameron classic can make a comeback in any way but if it happens, then the makers have to ensure presenting something new and fresh to the world.
Terminator 2: Judgement Day can be streamed on Netflix.
Source: Screen Rant
