Arnold Schwarzenegger went good, really, in 'Terminator 2: Judgment Day.'(Photo: Distrib Films\/Studio Canal) <\/p>\n
Arnold Schwarzenegger's infamous murderous cyborg made a shocking transformation in his second screen appearance. <\/p>\n
In 1991's Terminator 2: Judgment Day, the Terminator turned good. <\/p>\n
Schwarzeneggershotinto the Hollywood stratosphere after1984's The Terminator, in which he starred as the cold-blooded assassin from the future. The character's rewiring was so dramatic, even Schwarzeneggerhad to be convinced it wasn't insanity. <\/p>\n
Arnold hated the idea. He tried to talk me out of it,\" director James Cameron recalls of the action classic, which has been converted to 3-D for a one-week re-release in AMCtheaters nationwide starting Friday. \"He said, 'Jim, Im the Terminator. I kick in the door and shoot everybody. Its what I do. Its what everybody wants to see me do. Don't fix something that's not broken.' <\/p>\n
\"And I said, 'Yeah, thats why peoplewont see this coming. This is going to work.' He eventually said, 'All right, I trust you.' \" <\/p>\n
\"Terminator Genisys\" star Arnold Schwarzenegger gives USA TODAY's Bryan Alexander a lesson in walking like 'The Terminator.' <\/p>\n
Arnold's begrudgingtrust was well-placed:Terminator 2becamethe highest-grossingfilm of 1991 (and of Schwarzenegger's career) and sits at No. 77 on the American Film Institute's list of top thrillers. <\/p>\n
He said, 'Jim, Im the Terminator. I kick in the door and shoot everybody. Its what I do. Its what everybody wants to see me do. Don't fix something that's not broken.' <\/p>\n
\"I like challenges, and the idea of making the Terminatorinto a hero seemed adelicious concept,\" Cameron says. \"I set myself a goal of having the audience cry for a machine that had beenthe ultimate killer.\" <\/p>\n
It was hard not to fall for Schwarzenegger as the emotionally clumsy cyborg who bonds with 10-year-old John Connor (Edward Furlong), the future rebel leader whose very existence the Terminatorhad tried to wipe out. <\/p>\n
Sent back in time to protect John and his mother Sarah(Linda Hamilton), the machineutteredclassic Terminator lines, in Schwarzenegger's thick Austrianaccent, like \"Hasta la vista, baby.\" <\/p>\n
\"I was searching for that signatureline, the equivalent of 'Ill be back' from (the first)Terminator,\"says Cameron. \"I waswatching MTV and the Tone Loc Wild Thing video came on. He sings, 'Hasta la Vista, baby.' I thought, 'That works.' \" <\/p>\n
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Audiences were captivated by the movie's cutting-edge special effects, andtouched by theemotion and pathos. (Spoiler alert, 26 years after the fact: The Terminator is lowered into molten steel to destroy his lethal technology.) The cyborgnever sheds a tear, but he could have. <\/p>\n
\"In the first movie, we showed that the Terminatorcan sweat and hadbad breath,hes indistinguishable from living beings. Theoretically, he could've cried,\" Cameron says. \"But I felt it was a step too far in his humanization. Itwas more poignant asthatline he couldnt cross.\" <\/p>\n
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The success of Terminator 2kicked the franchise fully into gear, with three additional films and a TV series. Schwarzenegger returned fora fifth film installment, 2015's Terminator Genisys,to again protect Sarah Connor (now played by Emilia Clarke). <\/p>\n
Thoughthe Genisys reboot flopped critically and at the box office, the director, who hasn't been involved since T2,isin talks to \"reinvent a franchise thats sort of run its course.\" <\/p>\n
Schwarzenegger would likely figure intoany sequels, Cameronsays. But the actor, now 70,would pass the torch to new Terminators. <\/p>\n
Director James Cameron (right) looks on as John Connor (Edward Furlong, left) says \"Hasta la vista\" to the Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger) in 'Terminator 2: Judgment Day.'(Photo: Lightstorm Entertainment) <\/p>\n
\"We have to create something new and fresh that stands on its own,\" Cameron says. \"I would like to think that Arnold would be a part of it. But I think it would a mistake to make him as central as he has been.\" <\/p>\n
The director has long forgivenSchwarzenegger'sinitial doubts. <\/p>\n
\"He's a smart man. We live in a Hollywood world withmany unpredictable variables and an audience that'sfickle. So you try to play by a certain logical set of rules,\" says Cameron. \"But sometimes, you just have to throw that logic out.\" <\/p>\n
Edward Furlong and Arnold Schwarzenegger make their escape in 'Terminator 2: Judgment Day.'(Photo: Distrib Films\/Studio Canal) <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Read or Share this story: https:\/\/usat.ly\/2wqwZGC<\/a> <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Read the original here:<\/p>\n 'Terminator 2': Arnold Schwarzenegger's surprisingly nice cyborg is back onscreen in 3-D - USA TODAY<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Arnold Schwarzenegger went good, really, in 'Terminator 2: Judgment Day.'(Photo: Distrib Films\/Studio Canal) Arnold Schwarzenegger's infamous murderous cyborg made a shocking transformation in his second screen appearance. Continue reading