TriStar Images / Courtesy of the Everett Collection
Arnold Schwarzenegger wanted a bloodier and deadlier Terminator 2: Judgment Day, but James Cameron shot him down.
During a panel discussion at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures ahead of the screening of the Terminator sequel, Schwarzenegger said his rivalry with fellow action star Sylvester Stallone made him want a very different film.
“The reason it became a big hit was largely due to Jim Cameron. “Jim Cameron is a brilliant writer,” Schwarzenegger said. “He had this brilliant idea, although I was suspicious at first. He said, ‘I want to make you a good Terminator.’”
He continued, “I said, ‘What do you mean by a good Terminator?’ In the first part I killed 68 people. In the second I have to kill 150. We’re going up! Cut their throats, shoot them with a cannon and run them over with a car.’ I had to trump Stallone. I said my whole mission was to be number one at killing a lot of people on screen.”
However, Cameron already had an idea of what he wanted for Terminator 2 and rejected Schwarzenegger’s proposal.
“He said, ‘Arnold, cut it out. You are a very sick guy. “I’m going to make sure you don’t kill anyone in Terminator 2,” Schwarzenegger recalls. “I said that was the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. How can this be Terminator 2 without me killing anyone? Throw in at least a few symbolic corpses.”
Watch Schwarzenegger’s full livestream in the video below.