Arnold Schwarzenegger trashedThe Terminatoras “some s*** movie” right before filming began. ThisJames Cameron movienot only established the director as an exciting (and fiery) new talent, it also kicked off an iconic franchise. Its success might seem obvious in hindsight, but on paper, the premise definitely raises some eyebrows.
A pitch involving “A cyborg covered in human flesh traveling back in time to assassinate the mother of a future human resistance leader” sounds like the stuff of a bad sci-fi novel.It speaks to Cameron’s talent that it turned out to be a classic, but it’s easy to see why some of the cast and crew had doubts.
Schwarzenegger’s casting inthe originalTerminatormovieproved a stroke of genius, too - even if it went against the concept of an infiltration unit that could easily blend into a crowd. At this time in his career, Arnie was still best known as a bodybuilder and the star ofConan the Barbarian.
Schwarzenegger has often heldThe Terminatorup as the film that made his career, and speaks glowingly about working with Cameron. According to aTotal Film(viaThe Terminator Files) retrospective on the film from 2001, it appears Arnie had doubts about its success.
Schwarzenegger Called The Terminator “Some S*** Movie” Prior To Filming
Just as the film was gearing up to shoot, it had to be pushed back as Schwarzenegger was committed to filmingConan the Destroyer. According toTotal Film,Arnold was visited by a fellow bodybuilder named Rick Wayne during the filming ofConan 2, who commented on an interesting pair of shoes Schwarzenegger was holding.
I said: ‘What are those for?’. [Schwarzenegger] said: ‘Oh, some shit movie I’m doing, take a couple of weeks.’ It was The Terminator. That was the movie that made Arnold.' For him it was just some crap film."
If true,this paints Schwarzenegger’s insistence that he knewThe Terminatorwould be a hit in a different light. Arnie was very canny with his acting career when he started out, and thanks to his independent wealth from his other businesses, he could choose to be picky about the roles he took.
WithThe Terminator, he saw a chance to play a different kind of character - in this case, a total villain - that could show him off in a new light. Still,it was regarded as a silly B-movie by nearly everyone involved, including co-stars Linda Hamilton and Michael Biehn.
It’s entirely possible Arnie cooled on the project in the time between signing on and actually filming it, and he only started to believe in its potential while makingThe Terminator.Arnold certainly wouldn’t be the first actor who starred in a hit to believe he was making a bad movieduring production.
Schwarzenegger Felt The Terminator Was A “Low Profile” Risk
Arnold is as much a businessman as he is an actor or politician, and in his memoirTotal Recall, he spoke of the risk/reward element ofThe Terminator. His agent thought it was a bad idea, butSchwarzenegger felt he could “shine” in the role while being dressed in “cool clothes” and firing large guns.
He also liked the $750,000 payday involved, and that it would be filming in L.A. The biggest bonus toThe Terminatorwas that if it worked, it could boost his career and if it didn’t, it wouldn’t hurt him in the long run.
Yet the project was also low profile enough that I wouldn’t be risking my entire reputation by trying something new.
In short,even ifThe Terminatorflopped, it wouldn’t really impact his career one way or another. He also had the cushion of theConansequel to fall back on in 1984, so in just about every way, there was no particular downside to taking a shot on it.
Schwarzenegger Still Did Great Work On The Terminator
It’s well known thatArnie originally met with Cameron about the Kyle Reese role, after the likes of Sting had passed on it. Schwarzenegger admitted the Reese role hadn’t really grabbed him, and then went on to passionately give his view on how the Terminator should be played.
This is what inspired Cameron to casthimas the villain instead, butif Schwarzenegger went intoThe Terminatoranticipating it would be “s***,” it didn’t show in his performance. Much of the cyborg’s body language came from Arnold himself, such as the T-800 turning its eyes before it turns its head to mimic a surveillance camera.
He worked extensively on the body language of the character, including the cyborg’s slow, deliberate movements and never expressing emotion.Schwarzenegger also spent hours dismantling and reassembling weapons while blindfoldedto become totally comfortable handling firearms.
The Terminator Made Arnie A Movie Star
It’s hard to imagine how Schwarzenegger’s career would have progressed ifThe Terminatorhadn’t come his way. It handed him an instantly iconic role, and one that played to his strengths instead of his limitations. It helped that he followed the movie up withCommando, where he played a one-liner spewing action hero that was tuned to his comic strengths.
Schwarzenegger’s determination to be a star means he would have found another vehicle tailored to his talents- but it wouldn’t have been as perfect asThe Terminator. The film pushed him to the top of the A-list, where he enjoyed a decade-long run of hits likePredator,TwinsandTotal Recall.
After the box-office disappointment ofTerminator: Dark Fate, Schwarzenegger has ruled out a future return to theTerminatorfranchise.
That’s not even mentioning the variousTerminatorsequels. That’s not a bad legacy for “some s*** movie,” though it’s very likely Arnold holds the film in much greater esteem now.
Source:Total Film (via The Terminator Files), Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story
The Terminator
Cast
The Terminator, directed by James Cameron and released in 1984, features a cyborg assassin sent back in time to eliminate Sarah Connor, the mother of a future resistance leader. As the relentless machine pursues its mission, a human warrior is sent to protect her and secure humanity’s survival.
Terminator
The Terminator franchise, launched by James Cameron in 1984, explores a dystopian future where intelligent machines wage war against humanity. The relentless pursuit of key human figures by time-traveling cyborg assassins known as Terminators is central to the narrative. John Connor, the future leader of the human resistance, is the core target of the malicious machines.
