Arnold Schwarzenegger, the legendary actor who gave life to the unforgettable character of the Terminator, disclosed an intriguing behind-the-scenes detail in an interview with Howard Stern.
He intentionally distanced himself from his fellow actors during the production of the seminal sci-fi film, “The Terminator”. This was not due to any personal differences, but a strategic choice to bolster the credibility of his robotic persona.
In the interview with Howard Stern, Schwarzenegger explained that his primary concern was that if his co-stars became too familiar with him, they would lose the sense of fear and threat that his character was supposed to evoke. He wanted to maintain an aura of intimidation, believing that it would elicit genuine reactions from his co-stars, making the scenes more believable.
“Not so much for my sake because I can disconnect completely and just be the robot – but I was worried about them, that if they get connected to me and they start looking at me, they would not look at me with the same threat and fear.”
“I wanted to come into the room and I wanted to have that impact. You want to intimidate, impact and intimidate, and because it brings a certain facial reaction to them and I think it helps from an acting point of view and this becomes more believable.”
Schwarzenegger’s commitment to his role extended beyond his interactions with his co-stars. He also underwent intensive training to embody the mechanical precision of his character. He described how he learned to assemble a gun without looking at it, first practicing without a blindfold and then repeating the process blindfolded.
“First you do it without the blindfold and you do it, you know, 20 times right and you have someone helping you, so you know how to do it the best possible way. And then you put the blindfold on and then you do it also, you know, 20 times blindfolded,” he said of learning to assemble guns blindfolded.
This meticulous preparation was inspired by his background in bodybuilding and powerlifting, where repetition is key to mastery.
“It’s all about reps and there’s one thing that I know, and that is from bodybuilding and from weightlifting and powerlifting – it’s all about reps.”
The actor also discussed the challenges of portraying a robot, a character devoid of emotions. He emphasized that as humans, our speech and actions are often driven by emotions, which originate from our hearts or bellies. However, the Terminator, being a machine, lacks this emotional core. All of his dialogue is generated by his computer, devoid of any emotional inflection. This required Schwarzenegger to constantly remind himself to maintain this emotionless demeanor, even in scenes that would typically evoke strong emotional responses in humans.
Schwarzenegger’s dedication to his role and his unique approach to embodying the Terminator undoubtedly contributed to the success of the film. His performance continues to be celebrated for its chilling authenticity, and his portrayal of the Terminator remains one of the most iconic roles in science fiction cinema.
The actor’s insights into his preparation and execution of the role provide a fascinating glimpse into the craft of acting and the lengths an actor will go to bring a character to life.
