TERMINATOR TRIVIA Volume 6: Cool Facts you may not know about the Terminator Franchise!

Did you happen to miss some or all of our latest TERMINATOR TRIVIA postings on our Facebook Page? Well don’t fret, we’ve collected all of these tasty Terminator tidbits into a single volume that you can read here! And who knows, even the most die-hard Terminator Fans might just learn something new about the franchise we all hold near and dear to our hearts!

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SLIGHT OF HAND!
Did you know that when actor Arnold Schwarzenegger tried reloading an actual shotgun by twirling it in “Terminator 2: Judgment Day”, he almost broke every bone in his hand?

A feat that is virtually impossible with a real 1887 Winchester Shotgun, the sheer amount of force necessary to pull this twirling trick off is enough to break bones (not to mention running the risk of accidentally shooting yourself.).

So to illustrate that the Terminator was far stronger than an average human, a heavily modified shotgun prop was used which included an artificially lengthened lever loop which made the iconic twirling possible.

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I’LL DRIVE!
Did you know that during the bus chase on the Golden Gate Bridge in “Terminator Genisys”, actor Arnold Schwarzenegger never drove the police car once?

During the scenes where the Guardian Terminator actor appeared to be driving in pursuit of the runaway bus, there was actually a stunt driver secured to top of the car, steering the police cruiser with a custom rig equipped with a working steering wheel, brake, and excelleration pedals.  This specialized driving rig also allowed a camera to be mounted on the hood of the car to film action closeups of Arnold.

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ALWAYS TREAD LIGHTLY!
Did you know that when the T-X Terminatrix actress Kristanna Loken filmed her barefooted time travel arrival scenes for “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines”, she painfully got glass stuck in one of her feet?

Filming had to stop so she could care for it and have the glass removed, however a piece of that glass still remained in her foot for weeks.

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NOBODY IS PERFECT!
Did you know it was NOT writer & director James Cameron’s idea to change the ending of “Terminator 2: Judgment Day”?

Cameron wanted the Terminator sequel to end with the infamous “Old Sarah Connor” sequence, which revealed the Future War had indeed been prevented and would finish T2 on a happier note. But after a test screening resulted in almost a universal negative audience response to the happy ending, Cameron relented to studio pressure and quickly put together a makeshift ending that contained reused footage from when the heroes approached the Cyberdyne Building..  plus a Linda Hamilton voice over recording.

James Cameron later conceded his original ending for T2 was not the right one.

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ANOTHER TIME PERHAPS.
Did you know that actor Lance Henriksen (who played Detective Hal Vukovich in “The Terminator”) halfheartedly suggested to director James Cameron that he should continue his character in a Television Series… and in the film sequel “Terminator 2: Judgment Day”?

In a 1987 interview with “Strange Shapes”, Lance expressed that he really enjoyed his role as Vukovich, the cop who never gets to finish telling a story. “Oh, God, that was so much fun!” Lance admitted he would joke along with actor Paul Winfield (Lieutenant Ed Traxler) that the relationship between Hal and Ed would make a great TV series

And when Lance heard Cameron was going to make a second Terminator film, Henriksen suggested his character Hal could easily return in the sequel.  “You never see me die, so I was telling Jim Cameron that it could start in the hospital with me covered with scars saying, ‘Look, if this guy came once, he’s gonna come again.”  While a great idea, Cameron never found room for Lance in the new story he was trying to tell.

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We’ll be back… with Volume Seven!