- The Terminator would be nothing without its star: Arnold Schwarzenegger
- It took a long list of demands to get the actor on board for the third film
The Terminator film franchise would be nothing without its star, Arnold Schwarzenegger, who plays the T-800 cyborg himself.
From the first film in 1984 to the sixth and final installment in 2019, he was the only cast member to appear in every film.
However, it’s little known that it took some convincing to get the actor on board for Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.
The third film faced a tough task after Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), a huge box office success, prompting the makers to turn it into a franchise – fans still call it ‘the best sequel ever made’.
According to Screen RantSchwarzenegger was reluctant because James Cameron would no longer be a director because he was working on the Titanic film and felt that the second film already completed the story.
The Terminator film franchise would be nothing without its star, Arnold Schwarzenegger, who plays the T-800 cyborg himself. Arnold Schwarzenegger depicted in the second film in the franchise during his first of many encounters with the T-1000
Terminator III: Rise of the Machines: From the first film in 1984 to the sixth and final installment in 2019, he was the only cast member to appear in every film
However, Cameron encouraged Schwarzenegger to go for it if the actor was happy with the script and paid a lot, and he did.
The director reportedly told the actor that they had equal claims on the franchise and that he wouldn’t mind making more films without his involvement.
Cameron’s blessing was just the beginning of what he needed – he then gave the producers a long list of demands he wanted in exchange for his return.
Chief among them was a huge $30 million payday.
Buzzfeed reported that the actor was given a “pay or play” compensation of $29.25 million, meaning that even if the film does not go ahead, he would still get the money.
Schwarzenegger would also receive an additional $1.6 million for each day of filming that lasted longer than the planned 19-week schedule.
Also on his flamboyant list was $1.5 million worth of private jets, a trailer used specifically as his own personal gym, personal bodyguards, 24-hour limousines and three-bedroom hotel suites.
In the end, however, it proved worth it for the filmmakers, as Terminator 3 earned a whopping $430 million at the box office and led to three more films hitting our screens.
Terminator II: Arnold Schwarzenegger seen near the climax of the second film Judgment Day, which grossed a whopping $520 million at the box office upon its release in 1991
The Terminator: Arnold Schwarzenegger in the original 1984 Terminator film
Unsurprisingly, the action star isn’t the only Hollywood actor to have issued lists of demands; Pulp Fiction’s Uma Thurman reportedly had many requests for a film that was never made.
The film was Eloise in Paris, based on a 1950s children’s book of the same name by Kay Thompson.
It was widely reported that before filming even finished, the project was canceled due to a breach of contract dispute brought by Uma Thurman’s legal team – Karuna Dream Inc.
The actress’ contract was leaked later that year, revealing a list of demands she had made.
According to Female First, the paperwork showed that Thurman would need a luxurious dressing room, first-class air travel, a minimum “three-bedroom hotel suite” and three cell phones to use during filming.