10 Craziest Movie Myths (That Turned Out To Be True)
10. O.J. Simpson Was Rejected As The Terminator For Being "Too Nice"
Arnold Schwarzenegger was far from being the first choice to play the T-800; he originally auditioned for Kyle Reese before he and Cameron thought he'd be perfect as the villain. It's a lucky piece of casting that launched his career but things could have turned out very, very differently.
The Terminator was envisioned as a normal looking man who could blend into the background, with actor Lance Henriksen up for the role. When a bigger name was needed a shortlist of possibilities was drawn up, with O.J. Simpson's name appearing near the top. Cameron gave the idea some thought before deciding against it, stating he didn't believe such a nice guy would be believable as a ruthless killer.
Hindsight is a terrible thing.
Cameron swiftly moved on with Arnold and the rest is movie history. Had Simpson had been cast in the part it seems doubtful the character would have become as iconic. Making sequels would have been difficult too.