On-Set Drama Behind Iconic Terminator Line Almost Got Ugly
This phrase took first place in the rating of movie's popular expressions, and all thanks to Cameron, who insisted on his own.
The phrase "I'll be back" became Arnold Schwarzenegger's trademark. He said it in other movies and even at political events when he was elected governor of California.
However, the actor initially did not want to say the line in the form the audience eventually heard it, and repeatedly had conflicts with Terminator director James Cameron on this ground.
Originally in the script, the phrase sounded different – "I'll come back. " How did it change to "I'll be back"? There is no real answer to that question.
Most likely, the line was changed at the suggestion of a member of the film crew.
It is known that at first Schwarzenegger did not want to utter this sentence. At that time, the actor had just become an American citizen and did not speak English very well.
Arnie doubted that he would be able to pronounce it right and asked Cameron to replace the phrase with "I will be back."
"I said [to Cameron], 'To me, it sounds weird when I say I'll be back. Then he says, 'How would you say it?' And I said, 'I will be back.' And he says, 'No, I think it sounds better, 'I'll be back,'" the actor revealed in his interview with GQ.
However, the actor did not give up and tried to convince the director at every opportunity. As a result, Cameron lost his patience and responded to Arnie in a rather rude manner:
"He said, 'Look, I don't correct your acting, don't correct my writing, ok?' And that was it."
Since Terminator 2: Judgment Day, which became a true classic of the genre, the Terminator franchise has been in decline as none of the subsequent films have lived up to expectations.
Even the return of James Cameron, who was actively involved in the development of Terminator: Dark Fate, did not help. Perhaps the failure of this movie was the final nail in the Terminator coffin.
In addition to Cameron as writer and producer of Dark Fate, this installment also had a trump card in the person of Linda Hamilton, who played Sarah Connor once again.
It was she who last uttered the iconic phrase "I'll be back."
In fact, it has become a trademark of the entire franchise, appearing in one way or another in all installments, starting with the first one with the only exception being Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.