The Terminator: 10 Behind-the-Scenes Tales of a Sci-Fi Classic

      As we celebrate Arnold Schwarzenegger's 78th birthday today, let’s reflect on what is likely his most iconic role.

      The bodybuilder-turned-actor had already achieved cinematic success prior to The Terminator — notably in Conan the Barbarian — but it was The Terminator that truly defined his career.

      Here are 10 behind-the-scenes anecdotes about The Terminator.

      The Concept for The Terminator Came to James Cameron in a Dream

      Orion

      “The idea for The Terminator originated from a dream I had while I was ill with a fever in a low-budget hotel in Rome in 1981. I envisioned a chrome skeleton rising from flames. Upon waking, I immediately began sketching on hotel stationery,” shared the film's writer-director, James Cameron, with the British Film Institute.

      “My initial sketch depicted a metal skeleton severed at the waist, crawling across a tiled floor while using a large kitchen knife to pull itself along and reaching out with its other hand. In a second drawing, the figure was threatening a crawling woman.

      “Without the kitchen knife, these images closely mirrored the film's finale.”

      Arnold Schwarzenegger Wasn’t Immediately Sold on the Terminator Script

      Orion – Credit: C/O

      In the insightful new book The Last Action Heroes: The Triumphs, Flops, and Feuds of Hollywood’s Kings of Carnage by Nick de Semlyen, it is revealed that Schwarzenegger didn't find the Terminator script particularly appealing at first.

      “However, prompted by his girlfriend Maria, who was captivated by the script when it arrived at their home, he agreed to have lunch with its writer-director,” de Semlyen recounts.

      Maria was, of course, Maria Shriver, whom Schwarzenegger was married to from 1986 to 2021.

      Arnold Schwarzenegger Initially Auditioned for Kyle Reese

      Orion – Credit: C/O

      When Schwarzenegger was first contacted about the film, he was being considered for the character of the heroic Kyle Reese, a role that eventually went to Michael Biehn.

      “It was purely coincidental because I didn’t even audition for Terminator,” Schwarzenegger told Howard Stern.

      “I intended to be Kyle Reese, and throughout my lunch meeting with James Cameron, the director, I kept discussing The Terminator.”

      OJ Simpson Was Considered for the Terminator Role

      Hertz – Credit: C/O

      Studio head Mike Medavoy wanted O.J. Simpson, the Buffalo Bills superstar, to play the role of the ruthless killing machine.

      We'll let you make the joke here.

      Medavoy later explained to Entertainment Weekly: “At that time, O.J. Simpson appeared in those Hertz commercials where he leaped over counters to get a rental car. It was all that athleticism, which I believed suited the Terminator character.”

      Arnold Schwarzenegger Only Utters 131 Words in The Terminator

      Orion – Credit: Orion Pictures

      Three of those words, of course, are “I’ll be back.”

      Don't believe it? Check it out.

      Linda Hamilton Aspired to Be a Shakespearean Actress

      Orion – Credit: C/O

      “I had intentions of being a Shakespearean actress when I graduated from the Strasberg studio in New York. Therefore, I wasn't as enthusiastic about The Terminator as my team was,” Hamilton shared with EW. “Perhaps I was a bit pretentious. I thought, ‘Oh, Arnold Schwarzenegger. I’m not so sure about that.'”

      But later, as she observed him perform, she found herself reconsidering: “Hmm, this might actually work.”

      She told EW: “There was something so utterly robotic and frightening about him. I realized we were breaking new ground here, and suddenly I had faith.”

      Sarah Connor’s Age Reference

      Orion – Credit: C/O

      The film does not mention Sarah Connor’s age. While various Terminator installments have provided different birthdates for her, the original script specifies that she is just 19 years old.

      Specifically, it states she “is 19, pretty in an imperfect, approachable way,” whatever that implies.

      They could have simply said “pretty.”

      Shooting Leisure Activities

      Orion – Credit: C/O

      James Cameron, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Michael Biehn took a break during filming by... going shooting.

      Here they are at a shooting range along with John Milius, who directed Schwarzenegger in Conan the Barbarian.

      The Terminator Was Outperformed by Ralph Macchio and Nerds

      20th Century Fox – Credit: C/O

      The film performed adequately at the box office but did not make it into the Top 20 movies of 1984 — it came in at No. 21 domestically, trailing behind titles like Revenge of the Nerds, Breakin’, Bachelor Party, and Red Dawn. The top film of that year?

      Domestically, Ghostbusters took