Arnold Schwarzenegger recalls a disagreement he had with James Cameron while filming one of the most iconic scenes in The Terminator. While appearing on an installment of Variety‘s Actors on Actors with his son Patrick, the elder Schwarzenegger discussed collaborating with creatives who have “a very clear vision,” drawing comparisons between Cameron and The White Lotus creator Mike White (who has directed Patrick). Schwarzenegger mentioned he makes a point to work with “great directors” due to their hyper focus and intensity, but it isn’t always easy. On The Terminator, Cameron gave Schwarzenegger some tough love when the actor raised a question about a specific line.
“I would say, “I don’t like the line ‘I’ll be back,’” Schwarzenegger said. “He says, ‘What do you mean you don’t like the line?’ I said, ‘It’s just weird for a German to say, ‘I’ll be back.’ Why not just say, ‘I will be back’? He says, ‘Oh, you’re trying to tell me how to be a better writer, because I’m not telling you to be a better actor. Just say, ‘I’ll be back.’ If you want me to do 10 takes because you feel insecure about it, we can do that. But don’t change my writing.’”
Released in 1984, The Terminator put both Cameron and Schwarzenegger on the map, launching their careers and a lucrative film series. Decades later, the original movie is still considered one of the best sci-fi films ever made and has earned numerous accolades. Schwarzenegger’s performance as the T-800 landed the character on AFI’s 100 Years… 100 Heroes and Villains list. The immortal one-liner “I’ll be back” ranks #37 on AFI’s list of the best movie quotes.
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“I’ll be back” is one of the more popular phrases in pop culture now, something that took Schwarzenegger by surprise after The Terminator debuted. He’s spoken in the past about how the scene came to be, detailing the conversations he had with Cameron prior to shooting it. The director never intended the scene to become such a big moment in the film; when he wrote the script, it was designed as simply a small thing but it took on a life of its own.
Anyone familiar with Cameron’s work knows that his films are the product of an incredibly distinct, unique vision and he takes his craft very seriously. It isn’t surprising that he was adamant to keep the “I’ll be back” line as it was in the script. Schwarzenegger’s viewpoint is understandable. Not only did he have concerns about his thick accent pronouncing the line, he felt it made more sense for a robot to say “I will” instead of “I’ll.” But seeing how legendary the Terminator scene became, it’s safe to say it’s a good thing that Cameron won out. While the sequence itself probably would have still stood out (given that the T-800 drives a car through the police station), it’s hard to say if it would have become such a staple in the pop culture zeitgeist without “I’ll be back.” A case can be made that rolls off the tongue cleaner than Schwarzenegger’s suggested edit.
Schwarzenegger and Cameron cultivated a fruitful partnership over the years following The Terminator, collaborating on Terminator 2: Judgment Day and True Lies. Getting a taste of Cameron’s trademark intensity so early in his career could have convinced Schwarzenegger to seek other directors to work with, but it’s an illustration of why he signed on for multiple Cameron films. Seeing the filmmaker’s passion and talent up close helped Schwarzenegger realize early on that Cameron was going to be one of the greats.
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