When we think of Arnold Schwarzenegger, the first image that comes to mind is of the Terminator, a ruthless, unstoppable killing machine. With his memorable one-liners and status as an action movie icon, the bodybuilder-turned-actor has become synonymous with the series. However, many fans might not be aware that 7 times Mr. Olympia originally desired to take on a different role in James Cameron’s science fiction action film series.
Schwarzenegger’s interpretation of the title character in the first 1984 The Terminator was nothing short of revolutionary. His legendary performance helped to advance the actor’s career and opened the door for several spin-offs and sequels for the franchise.
The film, which also featured Paul Winfield, Linda Hamilton, and Michael Biehn, was also credited with launching Cameron’s career.
Arnold Schwarzenegger Wanted To Play This Role In The Terminator Franchise
Arnold Schwarzenegger‘s portrayal of the Terminator is unquestionably notable, but it is interesting to speculate what the series would be like if he had taken on the role of Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn) instead.
Reese, who was sent back in time to safeguard Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), was a more sympathetic and nuanced character than the Terminator. In an earlier visit to The Howard Stern Show, Schwarzenegger recalled how he tried to be “Kyle Reese”:
“It was a total coincidence because I didn’t even try out for Terminator. I was trying to be Kyle Reese, and during the lunch when I met with James Cameron, the director, I kept talking all the time about the Terminator.”
Despite the fact that Schwarzenegger and James Cameron had met to talk about the Reese role, the former kept giving the director notes regarding the Terminator role:
“I said, ‘Remember, it doesn’t matter—I know you guys have already probably hired O.J. Simpson,’ I said. I said, ‘But whoever is playing it, I just want you to be clear, he has to train himself to disassemble weapons and to put weapons together, and to shoot and to load the weapons all of this stuff blindfolded. Totally blindfolded because a Terminator can never ever look down at his hand, what he is doing. Because he’s a machine.”
The final version of The Terminator included a number of Schwarzenegger’s suggestions for the character’s walk, speech, and behavior:
“And I said, ‘When he walks, he has to have a certain walk.’ When he scans and looks around, he has to have a certain scan. It has to be absolutely clear at all times that this is a machine with absolutely no human behavior.”
How Did Arnold Schwarzenegger Land The Role of Terminator?
Despite the studio’s recommendation, James Cameron did not believe O.J. Simpson would be believable as a killer at the time. So, the director offered Arnold Schwarzenegger the role of the Terminator after being inspired by his concepts.
The actor told Howard Stern in the same interview:
“James Cameron looked at me, and at the end of the lunch and he said, ‘So why don’t you play Terminator? I mean, you understand him so well; this character is exactly what we need.”
Despite Cameron’s requests, Schwarzenegger initially turned down the part because he did not think it was a good fit for him:
“I said, ‘No, no, no, Jim. I say, ‘I counted the amount of lines this guy says, it’s 27 lines. … I’m not going to go backwards … You can give it to someone else … But I want to talk a lot, I want to perform, I want to be the leading man …”
Schwarzenegger offered his opinion on the status of the Terminator franchise in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. He claimed that although the movie series is still ongoing, his time as an actor in these films has come to an end:
“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 Terminator was largely responsible for my success, so I always would look at it very fondly.”
Acting continues to be a part of Schwarzenegger’s life. He recently appeared in the Netflix series FUBAR, which is currently available to stream. He will also play The President in David Sandberg’s upcoming martial arts comedy Kung Fury 2, whose release date is as of yet unknown.
Meanwhile, The Terminator (1984) is streaming on Max and DIRECTV.
