Arnold Schwarzenegger reprised his iconic role in Terminator 2: Judgment Day but the star originally had a problem with director James Cameron’s plan for the T-800. Released in 1991, Cameron’s sequel received rave reviews and is regarded by some as an improvement over its acclaimed predecessor. The twist with Schwarzenegger’s T-800 transformed a monster into a hero, but the star was confused by the script.
In 1984’s The Terminator, the T-800 was presented as an unstoppable killing machine, programmed to mercilessly hunt down Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) and her protector, Kyle Reece (Michael Biehn). In Terminator 2, Cameron switches this dynamic to showcase Schwarzenegger’s return as a new T-800, albeit one that has been reprogrammed to protect John Connor (Edward Furlong), the future leader of the human resistance against Skynet. Terminator 2 ultimately went on to gross over $520 million at the box office and is widely regarded as one of the greatest sequels ever made.
In Terminator 2, Schwarzenegger’s best action movie, the bodybuilder-turned-actor makes the unexpected transition from villain to protagonist. The switch provides the star with two iconic portrayals of ostensibly the same character and enables the sequel to avoid merely repeating the first film’s plot mechanics. However, as noted in The Ringer’s oral history of Terminator 2, Schwarzenegger was initially wary of Cameron’s T-800 plan, confused as to why his character was no longer killing people. The actor told Cameron he doubted the audience would believe he was the same deadly robot that was so memorable in the original, but Schwarzenegger’s confusion might have even helped the sequel.
During a meeting in Cannes, Schwarzenegger informed Cameron he had “a big problem with the script… I don’t kill anybody and I’m the Terminator.” Cameron was far more excited about the premise, thinking it would come as a complete surprise to viewers. Schwarzenegger was concerned his new, heroic Terminator would never live up to the promise of the film’s title. He was a terrifying, hulking presence in 1984’s The Terminator, regarded as one of the greatest movie villains of all time, so his confusion is understandable. Cameron had to sell Schwarzenegger on being the hero, recalling his own discomfort: “This was happening on some terrace in Cannes and everybody’s looking.” Schwarzenegger still wasn’t convinced by Cameron’s T-800 plan for Terminator 2, believing his role was simply to provide action and menace. Schwarzenegger stated, “How do you make people believe that this is the same guy we’ve seen in the first Terminator? Now all of a sudden, he’s protecting the human race and protecting this kid?”
Although Schwarzenegger was confused by how he could be reintroduced as a hero, he trusted Cameron and agreed to make Terminator 2, the best movie in the franchise. The actor surmised, “It was strange, but I thought, ‘If we pull it off, it will be huge.’” He was wise to sign on for Cameron’s T-800 plan, as Schwarzenegger’s heroic turn is arguably more iconic than his 1984 villain. The Terminator becoming a father figure to John Connor and nobly sacrificing himself in Terminator 2’s climax is a huge reason behind the movie’s memorability. Schwarzenegger’s reluctance to suddenly play the T-800 as a typical hero might even have improved his performance, as the robot is intended to gradually appear more human throughout the narrative. His attempts to understand human emotion and form an attachment to Furlong's John Connor provide Terminator 2’s heart and Schwarzenegger imbues the character with surprising depth and subtlety.
Just as the T-800 is confused by John crying and the ability to smile, Schwarzenegger’s attempts to understand this change in direction may have subconsciously impacted his performance to moving effect. Terminator 2: Judgment Day manages a fine line between making the T-800 likable and even humorous, without undermining his deadliness. If Arnold Schwarzenegger was overly enthusiastic about playing the hero, it might have appeared inauthentic and hindered the T-800’s growth. This is something later entries forgot, turning the T-800 into a joke instead of the empathetic and tragic figure of James Cameron's sequel.
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