The Terminator was a game-changer movie, and one of the things that made it work (at least half) was Arnold Schwarzenegger’s personification of the unrelenting cyborg killer. Schwarzenegger’s casting was by no means a simple decision, and he wasn’t the first choice for the role either as James Cameron has revealed.
As a matter of fact, the Aliens movie director was wary of casting the Predator star opposite him as his lead. Those rumors about who was cast in The Terminator have been around for a while now, with Cameron admitting in interviews over the years that he never had much security on Schwarzenegger.
Cameron’s indecision was a stark contrast to his claim about Robert Patrick, who would appear in Terminator 2: Judgment Day as the T-1000. Cameron was convinced from the very start that Patrick needed to play the role, much like Schwarzenegger eventually came into the perfect role for the character in the first film.
Casting Call: A Choice Made by First Glance
Robert Patrick firing a gun without blinking pic.twitter.com/kEU4IWtxO9
— Vanessinator 🤖 T-80085 (@ilovejohnkimble) October 14, 2021
His unique look helped him land the Terminator 2 role. His casting was seen as a natural fit, given the actor’s history with roles stemming back to Die Hard 2 and The X-Files.
Looking back at the experience, Patrick remembered how Cameron was taken by his look and physicality — which he described as “a cross between David Bowie and James Dean.” Like Schwarzenegger the original Terminator, he asserted that he was perfectly cast for the T-1000.
That casting wasÂn’t an obvious choice and not a welcome one at first.
A behind the scenes photo of director James Cameron and Arnold Schwarzenegger from the filming of THE TERMINATOR (1984). pic.twitter.com/E8bgaTLbmz
— The Retro Reminiscer (@RetroReminiscer) May 13, 2024
Although Cameron was convinced that Patrick was the right choice for T-1000, his decision to cast him in the first Terminator film was far less assured. And Cameron has also been banging on that he didn’t want Schwarzenegger in the movie at all. The Terminator director didn’t want to cast the action star in what would be the heroic soldier role of Kyle Reese, played by Michael Biehn. But Orion’s studio executives were pressing for Schwarzenegger as Reese, a decision Cameron disagreed with.
During an interview with Empire, Cameron shared his skepticism:
“Because I didn’t want Arnold in the movie. I didn’t want him to play Reese. It didn’t make any sense. This was coming from on high at Orion that Arnold should play Reese. It was just a stupid idea.”
Cameron had thought about casting Schwarzenegger for the role of the Terminator but was initially unconvinced. When he met Schwarzenegger for lunch, it was the first time he really envisioned him as a menacing and unstoppable cyborg. Cameron felt that Schwarzenegger’s take on the character would make for a different interpretation than he first pictured (although he knew he had to follow his instinct to go out on a limb).
An iconic role in the making
TERMINATOR 2: JUDGEMENT DAY (1991)
DP: Adam Greenberg
Director: James Cameron
Buy or Rent on Amazon: https://t.co/1UgHsxM9S6 pic.twitter.com/OOyWXG94Ao— One Perfect Shot (@OnePerfectShot) April 10, 2018
It was one of the hits that made Schwarzenegger—making him a female visible being in action movie history. In the case of Patrick, at least they knew from day one that casting was going to be a confident decision. The attitude, look and presence of the actor was more than perfect for the role of T-1000 which added a new & terrifying dimension to Terminator 2.
Both Schwarzenegger and Patrick crafted characters that are still living in the cultural imagination, thanks to Cameron’s bold casting decisions. Prime Video still has Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgment Day still streaming if fans want to relive those breakthrough performances that cemented a franchise.
Stay tuned to TheFlashsports to get more exciting news about the show.
