Although today no one can imagine that someone else can play the role of the Terminator better than Arnold Schwarzenegger, before the filming of the first part of the cult film began, it was not so obvious. At least according to Schwarzenegger himself in the Netflix documentary Arnold.
In this film, the action star detailed the backstory of his participation in the filming of the role of the Terminator. The actor explained that he was not James Cameron’s first choice for the role of a cyborg from the future. According to Arnold, the director originally saw former football player and aspiring actor O.J. Simpson. Schwarzenegger, as expected, will play the role of a good guy – Kyle Reese.
When the aspiring star met with James Cameron, who was taking his first steps in Hollywood, to negotiate the terms of the contract. Schwarzenegger told the journalist that over lunch with the director, he began to share his thoughts on the role of the Terminator. Although he did not want to play him himself (he felt that portraying a silent killing machine would be a regression for his career), he told the director how a cyborg should behave.
He must not lower his head, look down and load the magazine into the pistol … Everything must be done like a machine, so he must be trained blindfolded.
It was at this point that Cameron realized that Schwarzenegger was perfect for the role.
No one understands him better than you, which is why I think you should play the Terminator.
As already mentioned, the actor, not seeing any prospects in the role of a ruthless killer, initially refused the director. Only after some deliberation did he accept the role, which later became a real springboard for his international career.
It’s worth noting that this wasn’t the first time that the O.J. Simpson character had surfaced in conversation. This was also mentioned in an interview with The Independent in 2019. Arnold then said: “Actually, OJ Simpson was the first choice for the Terminator. Then for some reason [Джеймс Кэмерон] decided he was not trustworthy as a killing machine.
Sounds amazing? It really is. The journalists also felt that the source himself, James Cameron, should comment on this information. So even then they asked if he was planning to hire Simpson.
The director replied that this was … not true, and that Schwarzenegger was wrong. However, he added that the offer to hire the former athlete came from Orion studio boss Mike Medavoy. However, this suggestion was ridiculed by the director.
Producer/co-writer Gayle Hurd and I looked at each other like it was the dumbest thing we’ve ever heard.
