Arnold Schwarzenegger was the cherry on top during the golden era of bodybuilding. The bodybuilder collected seven Mr. Olympia titles and proved his dominance in the sport. Despite his success in bodybuilding, Arnold was also inclined towards acting and thus switched his career in 1970.

Surprisingly, Schwarzenegger, famous for his role as T-800 in The Terminator series, was initially not chosen for it. So how did he manage to get the role? 

Arnold Schwarzenegger was not the first choice

The Terminator franchise has given Schwarzenegger some of his best movies, both in terms of grossing and popularity. The film has six sequels in total, out of which the bodybuilder appeared in five. His actions, his moves, and his short yet crispy dialogues made the entire plot even more interesting for viewers. 

T-800, also known as Cyberdyne Systems Model 101, is a character that resides in every fan’s heart. However, Arnold Schwarzenegger wasn’t the name that popped into James Cameron’s mind for this part. Former footballer O. J. Simpson was initially chosen for the role, while they pictured the muscleman as the resistance fighter Kyle Reese.

The director was determined to not let Schwarzenegger play The Terminator. He even planned to provoke the bodybuilder somehow so that he willingly didn’t play the part. 

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“That was my agenda: to get in an argument and come back and say he was an a**hole. But he was so charming and so into the script. Even though he made me smoke a cigar that made me sick for six hours,” said James.

READ MORE: Batman Christian Bale Gave a Blatant Reason Behind Arnold Schwarzenegger Not Being Part of Terminator Salvation in 2008: “Franchise Doesn’t Need Him Now”

However, fortunately enough, his idea failed and Schwarzenegger impressed him with his views and opinions regarding the role. It was then James who wanted the bodybuilding champ to play T-800. Furthermore, he even agreed to make some changes just to persuade him for the part. 

We never lose, we only learn

Failure is the stepping stone to success. The bodybuilder once explained the same and motivated the crowd to never be afraid of losing. 

“Hey, we all lose,” said the Mr. Olympia winner. “If you all have lost as this is okay, and this is why I say don’t be worried about losing, because when you’re afraid of losing, then you get frozen. You got to be in order to perform well in anything.”

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Starting from bodybuilding to acting to politics, Arnold Schwarzenegger has mastered in almost all of his endeavors. What do you think of Cameron’s revelation about him preferring Schwarzenegger playing Kyle Reese instead of T-800?