A Terminator Actor Almost Played The T-800 — The Original Plan (& Why It Changed)

Terminator‘s iconic T-800 might’ve been very different if original casting plans hadn’t been changed by a certain muscle-bound Austrian. If you ignore everything released after the turn of the millennium, James Cameron’s Terminator franchise is a fantastic two-part story in which a future cybernetic war bleeds into the present – but that premise hinges entirely on Arnold Schwarzenegger’s T-800. In 1984’s opening chapter, the titular Terminator travels back to an era of spandex and hair metal on a mission to kill the mother of future resistance leader, John Connor. In the 1991 sequel, a reprogrammed T-800 is tasked with protecting teenage John from an even more advanced cyber assassin.

Having previously donned sword and sandals for Conan the Barbarian, audiences were already somewhat familiar with Arnold Schwarzenegger in the early 1980s. Nevertheless, it was his role as the T-800 that launched Schwarzenegger to international stardom. Whether stealing someones clothes, promising us he’ll be back, or giving the most emotional thumbs-up of all time, Arnie’s Terminator career is packed with legendary cinematic moments. Thankfully, no more films were made, and the franchise’s reputation remained forever untarnished…

Despite Arnold Schwarzenegger’s eternal association with the role, initial plans for the T-800 were virtually unrecognizable. James Cameron’s early pick was Lance Henriksen, who actually ended up portraying Terminator‘s Dt. Vukovich – one of the cops that finds Sarah Connor and interrogates Kyle Reese, disbelieving his story about time travel and a robot apocalypse until one of said robots begins shooting up the precinct. Early concept designs from Terminator‘s pre-production phase reveal what Henriksen would’ve looked like as the T-800 and, reportedly, the actor auditioned for producers in-character, only for them to veto Cameron’s choice. According to Hollywood legend, Cameron found his T-800 when Schwarzenegger was put forward for the role of Kyle Reese. Arnie was clearly more interested in playing the villain, and Cameron duly agreed.

Lance Henriksen’s inclusion on James Cameron’s list of T-800 candidates reveals a drastically altered vision for the famous cyborg. Henriksen lacks the physical frame of Arnold Schwarzenegger (who doesn’t?), and the aforementioned concept art points toward a gaunt, creepy robot assassin, rather than the intimidating force of nature Terminator‘s T-800 ultimately became. Henriksen’s cyborg still would’ve possessed inhuman strength and durability due to his mechanical innards, but the actor’s unassuming stature would’ve made these feats all the more shocking on-screen. James Cameron revisited this casting model for Robert Patrick’s T-1000 in Terminator 2: Judgement Day – physically ordinary, but possessing the hidden power that comes with being a cyborg from the future.

Although a less traditionally “tough” T-800 in Terminator is intriguing, Schwarzenegger proved a vital ingredient to the franchise’s success. Likewise, it’s because of Terminator that Schwarzenegger enjoyed a stellar run of film success through the 1980s and 1990s, before making a transition into politics. Coming back to reality for a moment, the continued Terminator series struggled under Schwarzenegger’s considerable shadow. Without him, Terminator felt pointless; with him, it became parody.

James Cameron didn’t forget Henriksen’s android audition either, as only two years after Terminator, he cast the actor as Bishop in Aliens – another synthetic character. Just as Schwarzenegger was perfect as the T-800, Henriksen proved adept as Bishop, incorporating more nuance and drama into his character than Terminator afforded the T-800. Henriksen’s slender build also proved far more suited to the world of Alien than as a death machine from the future.

About The Author

Craig Elvy
(3630 Articles Published)

Craig first began contributing to Screen Rant in 2016, several years after graduating college, and has been ranting ever since, mostly to himself in a darkened room. Having previously written for various sports and music outlets, Craig’s interest soon turned to TV and film, where a steady upbringing of science fiction and comic books finally came into its own.
Craig has previously been published on sites such as Den of Geek, and after many coffee-drenched hours hunched over a laptop, part-time evening work eventually turned into a full-time career covering everything from the zombie apocalypse to the Starship Enterprise via the TARDIS.

Since joining the Screen Rant fold, Craig has been involved in breaking news stories and mildly controversial ranking lists, but now works predominantly as a features writer.
Jim Carrey is Craig’s top acting pick and favorite topics include superheroes, anime and the unrecognized genius of the High School Musical trilogy.

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