This archive report was first published on 30 October 2019.
Terminator: Dark Fate, the latest installment in the sci-fi franchise, marks a significant milestone for its iconic characters, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton. The film, directed by Tim Miller and produced by James Cameron, brings back the beloved duo in a thrilling adventure that promises to deliver on the franchise's signature action and suspense.
According to Schwarzenegger, the character's latest incarnation is a departure from its previous forms. "In each movie, the Terminator is a little bit different -- there's a certain evolution," he said in an interview with AFP. The actor, 72, has come a long way since his first portrayal of the cyborg assassin in James Cameron's 1984 classic.
Hamilton, who reprises her role as Sarah Connor, 28 years after the events of Terminator 2: Judgment Day, had a more challenging time returning to the franchise. "It took me a long time to agree to do it," she said. "I eventually started going, 'You're just afraid.' And when I'm afraid, then I have to do it."
Hamilton's character, now desperate and aimless, is no longer human, while the Terminator has grown a conscience in this latest installment. The film, which takes place in 2022, begins where Terminator 2 left off in 1991, with Connor having prevented the future eradication of the human race by machines equipped with artificial intelligence known as Skynet.
For Hamilton, signing back up meant a year of strenuous physical training and the unpleasant experience of taking testosterone prescribed by her doctor to help her build muscle. "There came a day where I was angry about something and I couldn't sleep and my blood pressure is spiking and I'm kind of flying off the handle. And, I'm like, 'This is the hormones talking,'" she recalled.
While Schwarzenegger had it easier, with his daily training routine, the main challenge for him was acting in front of green screens used to later generate computer-driven special effects. "It gets a little bit more tedious, because you're now working a lot of times with stuff that doesn't exist," he said.
Terminator: Dark Fate, which hits theaters on Friday, promises to deliver on the franchise's signature action and suspense, with a new storyline that explores what makes us human. The film sees Connor find a new raison d'etre in protecting young Dani Ramos, who is being pursued by the most sophisticated-yet Terminator from the future.
