While Arnold Schwarzenegger was justifiably lauded for his performance in Terminator, there was another person, his co-star, who didn’t quite get her flowers always. Linda Hamilton was one of the major characters in the first film, but she didn’t quite get an appreciation for her performance till Terminator 2: Judgment Day.
It wasn’t just the audience who loved her in Terminator 2, even Arnold Schwarzenegger was impressed with not just her acting, but how much she had bulked up for the role. He mentioned that she had worked out so much between the two films, that veins were popping out of her biceps.
How Linda Hamilton Impressed Arnold Schwarzenegger Before Terminator 2
In the new Netflix documentary, Arnold, detailing the life of bodybuilding turned actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, the man of the hour mentioned how shocking it was for him to see Linda Hamilton before they began shooting for Terminator 2: Judgment Day. She had immersed herself in working out to prepare for the role of Sarah Connor.
So when she met Schwarzenegger, the actress was shredded from head to toe. The Total Recall actor said:
“A few days before we start shooting, Jim Cameron says to me, ‘Let’s all get together and have a nice dinner.’ Linda comes in and she takes her sweater off and I’m looking at her arms. Veins on the biceps, and then triceps. Everything was like a bodybuilder but except miniature. I said, ‘I can’t believe that son of a b**ch is f**king more cut than me.'”
What did Hamilton herself say about this? She said, “I do remember the fierce pride that I had to show to Arnold.” Thankfully, T2 wasn’t the last time, these two worked together. They collaborated again in another film of the franchise- the ill-fated Terminator: Dark Fate.
Linda Hamilton Talked About Being Ripped For Terminator: Dark Fate
2019’s Terminator: Dark Fate was a box office blunder. It grossed only $250 million worldwide on a budget of $185 million. However, fans of the franchise were glad to see Linda Hamilton and Arnold Schwarzenegger back together, and sure enough, both of them looked shredded on-screen.
In an interview with Games Radar, Hamilton talked about the film and explained how hard it was to get back in shape:
“I got so old. It was daunting. Who is going to want to see this? I don’t worry about audience response, but I was concerned about not letting the character of Sarah Connor down. I had to work that much harder, at my age, to kick butt in a whole new way.”
The Terminator franchise never quite reached the heights of the first and second films, which were helmed by James Cameron. As such, fans want the acclaimed filmmaker to return again. But even though, he has expressed his desire to make another film, it remains to be seen if that ultimately gets made or not.
Arnold is streaming on Netflix, and the Terminator films are available on HBO Max.
Source: Games Rader and Insider
