Arnold Schwarzenegger reveals who they originally wanted to play the Terminator

Arnold Schwarzenegger has revealed that the Terminator was originally going to be played by actor and former NFL player O. Jay Simpson, best known for the Naked Gun film series. However, the producers were not sure that moviegoers would see him as a "killing machine".

Schwarzenegger revealed this candidacy in the Netflix documentary mini-series "Arnold», writes business insider.

This series was also attended by the director of "Terminator" James Cameron, who recalled that only Mike Medavoy, co-founder of Orion Pictures, which distributed the film, saw Simpson in the role Terminator. While Schwarzenegger was considered for the role of Kyle Reese, the resistance fighter and father of John Connor.

Cameron recalls: “Mike Medavoy told me the film was already complete and he thought it through: Oh. Jay Simpson and Arnold Schwarzenegger. But the director was surprised at how Mike distributed the roles.

When Cameron saw Schwarzenegger live, he was immediately struck by his appearance.

Schwarzenegger noted that no one at Orion Pictures was sure about Simpson's candidacy - only Mike Medavoy saw him as a killer robot. Therefore, in the end, the role went to the one who was more suitable.

Schwarzenegger also recalled responding to Cameron, "No, no, no, I don't want to play villains. The character only has 26 lines of text." But in the end, the director nevertheless convinced Arnold that this role was created for him.

Just ten years after the release of The Terminator, in 1994, Simpson found himself at the center of a high-profile scandal. He was accused of killing his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her lover Ronald Goldman. In 1995, he was acquitted and escaped the death penalty.

Recall that not so long ago, James Cameron confirmed work on the script for the new Terminator, but already without Schwarzenegger.