The Terminator without Arnold Schwarzenegger is not the Terminator at all, so James Cameron was absolutely right to cast the former bodybuilder as the cybernetic assassin in his 1984 film. The Austrian actor has everything the role required of him – a hulking physique and a perfect understanding of the character.
This won Cameron’s approval, eventually deciding that Schwarzenegger should lead the franchise. The actor, however, had doubts that the character, only having a few lines, would be the doom of his career.
Arnold Schwarzenegger Shared How He Landed The Role In Terminator
During an interview with Graham Bensinger, actor Arnold Schwarzenegger revealed he bagged the role of the Terminator by accident while having lunch with director James Cameron. He shared his opinion about the character, demonstrating an in-depth awareness of how it should move in the film:
“Everything was kind of off because he was not like a human being, there was something wrong here, but you couldn’t identify exactly what it was. He cannot go and look down and have the magazine be put into the gun… This has to be done like a machine, therefore he has to be trained blindfolded.”
Cameron was amazed by the actor’s perspective and offered him the lead role instead of playing another character, Kyle Reese. The Canadian filmmaker stated:
“There’s no one who will understand the Terminator better than you, so therefore, I think we’re all in agreement that you should play the Terminator.”
The offer was very precious, but Schwarzenegger initially refused it as he was not sure it would help push his career forward. Cameron was very adamant, so he made a promise to the actor:
“Trust me, I will shoot the character so that you’re not only the number one villain they’ve ever seen but the number one hero.”
The former governor of California reflected on the opportunity for a short period of time, and after much deliberation, he ultimately decided to go for it. He admitted:
“Eventually, one day, I woke up and said to myself, you know, he’s right. It would be the most memorable character if it’s played right.”
His assessment turned out to be the wisest decision he has made in his acting career. The Terminator franchise became a massive hit at the box office, spawning five more installments, and earning over $2 billion globally.
Arnold Schwarzenegger Is Done With The Terminator Franchise
Arnold Schwarzenegger owes a lot to the Terminator franchise, but he remarked that his time playing the famed character has come to an end. He told The Hollywood Reporter:
“The franchise is not done. I’m done. I got the message loud and clear that the world wants to move on with a different theme when it comes to The Terminator. Someone has to come up with a great idea.”
The actor dissected each installment, claiming the original film made him a successful actor, but the last two movies were not impressive enough. He commented:
“The Terminator was largely responsible for my success, so I always would look at it very fondly. The first three movies were great. Number four [Salvation], I was not in because I was governor. Then five [Genisys] and six [Dark Fate] didn’t close the deal, as far as I’m concerned. We knew that ahead of time because they were just not well written.”
The Terminator franchise has changed over time, but fans will always remember how Schwarzenegger embodied his role as if he was born to play it, and Cameron made the actor one of the best villains – and heroes – of all time.
