James Cameron and Ex-Wife Linda Hamilton Were Convinced Arnold Schwarzenegger Would Waste Their $6.4 Million: “This Wasn’t About the Body”

Arnold Schwarzenegger is known for many talents. But when things come down to his acting career, the 75-year-old is infamously known for his portrayal of T-800 in The Terminator (1984). The 6’2 ft former bodybuilding champion used his intimidating and muscular build and combined it with emotionless, machine-like acting. Schwarzenegger’s antagonist became so iconic that Arnold or people playing his double have appeared in every installment of the Terminator franchise. However, in 1984, neither filmmaker James Cameron nor Arnie’s co-star Linda Hamilton had faith in him.

Until then, Schwarzenegger had acted in the box-office dark horse Conan the Barbarian (1982) and played a bodybuilder in Stay Hungry (1977). However, both films used Schwarzenegger’s body as his USP.  And visionary director Cameron wanted something else and couldn’t trust him to star in the $6.4 million film unless he met the young actor. While Arnie won over Cameron, even during filming, Linda had her doubs on Arnie.

Arnold Schwarzenegger terminated their doubts

The Terminator film played a crucial role in launching the careers of James Cameron, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Linda Hamilton. However, at that time, none of them had gained significant fame or star power. As a result, the production studio Orion Pictures had a strong influence on various aspects of the movie. Mike Medavoy, co-owner of Orion Pictures, made the decision to cast Arnold Schwarzenegger and O. J. Simpson in the film. Additionally, Medavoy expressed his desire to see Arnold Schwarzenegger take on the role of the protagonist, Kyle Reese, as envisioned by director James Cameron.

In the Netflix docu-series “Arnold,” Cameron expressed his initial doubts about casting Arnold Schwarzenegger. He mentioned that the names of the two didn’t seem to fit together. However, after meeting the seven-time Mr. Olympia, Cameron became convinced that the Austrian Oak was the right choice to portray the machine. Cameron’s ex-wife also shared her initial skepticism about Schwarzenegger. “I definitely had my doubts,” she stated.

Hamilton knew the $6.4 million was a “very low” budget for a film and thought acting, Arnie, might be a waste. “By our snotty definition, Arnold was a poser bodybuilder pretending to be an actor,” she said. However, Cameron guided Arnie to shatter the stereotype around his image. While the actor had built his brand value through his body, “This was about the face,” he said in Episode 2.

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However, against all expectations, Schwarzenegger used his champion mindset to nail the role. So when Hamilton went to observe, she “bought it.” After witnessing Arnie’s “physicality” and stiffness, Hamilton thought, “Okay, this might work.” However, after decades of starring as the Terminator, the 75-year-old took a difficult decision.

The bodybuilding legend’s future with the franchise

In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the Predator star said his future with the Terminator franchise. Despite returning to acting with FUBAR, the Governator didn’t have good news for Terminator fans. The 75-year-old said he won’t appear in future Terminator films.

After the poor reception of Terminator: Dark Fate (2019), the Austrian Oak understood people wanted something new and different. He also said that the recent films were poorly written. Hence, the franchise needs to start afresh with new actors. “I’m done,” Arnie told The Hollywood Reporter. 

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