The X-Files, The Sopranos, and Die Hard 2 are some of Robert Patrick’s notable roles in addition to his work as the T-1000 in Terminator 2: Judgment Day, the follow-up to the first 1984 James Cameron film.
In the second installment of the franchise, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s original Terminator was reprogrammed to guard the world’s only hope for survival. The 1991 science fiction action film boosted Patrick’s career in the same way that the previous film did for the former Governor of California.
Working with the franchise’s creator James Cameron was one of Patrick’s favorite experiences. Although it was occasionally challenging to work with the Canadian director, the outcomes were positive.
But did you know that Cameron had two reasons for choosing Patrick to fight Schwarzenegger in Terminator 2: Judgment Day?
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Why Did James Cameron Cast Robert Patrick In Terminator 2: Judgment Day?
Robert Patrick, known for playing negative characters on screen, previously discussed how James Cameron‘s casting in Terminator 2: Judgement Day changed his life’s trajectory. The 1991 film was able to change people’s perceptions of what science fiction villains and movie sequels could be like.
Patrick was selected for the T-1000 role through conventional auditions. He heard from his agent about the chance to appear in Cameron’s film as the Die Hard 2 actor once recalled:
“My agents told me that they were looking for someone who could create an intense presence. They’re not going to let me read the script.”
The physical similarity between Patrick and the T-1000 character allowed it to fulfill Cameron’s perception:
“The cool things that I didn’t know about were that they were looking for someone that physically looked like me. They had previously cast Billy Idol. He got injured, and I had been described as a cross between David Bowie and James Dean. And that was a physical thing that Jim [James Cameron] was looking for. It was really the way I looked that got their interest.”
However, Patrick’s abilities at his audition—not just his good looks—were what got him the part. In contrast to other actors, his performance got Cameron’s attention. Patrick once shared with The Guardian:
“Jim [James Cameron, the director], from what I understand, went ‘Wow’. And I remember him saying: ‘You were the only one who gave me a little scare there’.”
What Caused Robert Patrick To Occasionally ‘Resented’ His T-1000 Role?
Robert Patrick‘s star power seemed to grow overnight after he appeared as T-1000 in James Cameron’s film. The actor earlier recalled having fans approach him in the street, demonstrating the level of acclaim his T-1000 portrayal had received. Some would even ask him to recreate his famous run from Terminator 2: Judgement Day, which, he admitted, would occasionally irritate him:
“I’ve done it to make people laugh. But I’ve resented the role to a certain degree sometimes. I’ve gotten pissed at people about it. If I felt as if they were mocking me I would get a little annoyed. But over the years, and the older I’ve get, the more I’ve loosened up. I’m able to take the piss out of myself.”
For the actor, the pressure was so intense that he occasionally believed he would be fired from the project. Despite the fact that he had little reason to think such things:
“There was also a part of me that was worried I was gonna get fired! You know, I revealed that recently. That was something I didn’t really share with a lot of people, but I just thought, any day now, this is all gonna go away, and I’m gonna get fired. Why I had that feeling, I’ve no idea.”
Terminator 2: Judgement Day is regarded as one of the best science fiction, action, and sequel movies ever made. It is also acknowledged as having a significant influence on visual effects in movies, aiding in the shift from using real-world effects to relying on computer-generated imagery.
James Cameron had planned for Terminator 2: Judgement Day to be the final installment in the series, but it was followed by a number of sequels.
Stream Terminator 2: Judgment Day on fuboTV.
Source- The Guardian
