The reason why Arnold Schwarzenegger didn’t want to be in ‘The Terminator’
One of Arnold Schwarzenegger‘s most iconic roles, the futuristic cyborg assassin sent back in time to kill Sarah Connor in The Terminator, is undoubtedly his most memorable. After all, it was in that film that Arnie delivered one of the most well-known phrases in cinema history: “I’ll be back”. And, of course, he most certainly was.
However, it was revealed during a Reddit AMA session with the legendary actor that he had not been keen on performing in the role. It would be strange to think that Arnie’s list of film credits may have had his signature role omitted from it. One Reddit user in the session asked Schwarzenegger: “I remember hearing that James Cameron did not originally want you for the role of the Terminator. But then you guys went for lunch, and he changed his mind. If this is true, what did you say or do to convince him you were right for the role?”
Arnie replied by claiming that the story is a little different from what the Reddit user claims. He wrote: “I wanted the role of Kyle Reese when we went to lunch. I did not want to be the Terminator. I didn’t think I had established myself yet enough as a hero to be a villain.”
Arnie admitted that when he moved to Hollywood, given his sheer physicality, most film directors and casting agents were only willing to offer him the role of the villain. But he had wanted to establish himself in the industry first, with a clear goal of longevity in mind.
He added, “I told Jim [Cameron] some of my ideas about how the Terminator should train (not looking while loading weapons, not blinking, no emotions. I said the guy had to train blindfolded.) The Terminator, by the way, at that time, was O.J. Simpson.”
Evidently, Arnie had a latent and innate understanding of the character, his style and his motives, so he seemingly convinced Cameron to take him on board regardless of how he felt about being typecast. And amazingly, O.J. Simpson was considered for the role of the Terminator!
James Cameron later said of Arnie: “He was quoting key moments – but Terminator moments. I just watched him: the strength of his face impressed me more than his physique. I pictured him as a human Panzer tank, and I knew that it would work. I returned to John Daly, our exec producer at Hemdale and said, ‘Well, he’s wrong for Reese. But he’d make a hell of a Terminator.'” And the rest, as they say, is history.
