James Cameron did not want former NFL star OJ Simpson for The Terminator.

It’s difficult to imagine James Cameron’s The Terminator (1984) with an actor in the lead other than Arnold Schwarzenegger. The star propelled the franchise to fame, and it also cemented his legacy in Hollywood, but he was surprisingly not the studio’s first choice for the role.
Arnold Schwarzenegger in The Terminator
Cameron knew exactly what he was looking for when he cast Schwarzenegger. Consequently, the director immediately refused the idea of having former NFL star OJ Simpson involved in the movie.

James Cameron Clarified Mystery Behind OJ Simpson’s Involvement In The Terminator

In an interview with Independent, former professional bodybuilder and actor Arnold Schwarzenegger shared he was not the first person in mind when James Cameron was prepping for The Terminator.

“It was actually OJ Simpson that was the first cast Terminator. Then somehow [James Cameron] felt that he was not as believable for a killing machine. So then they hired me. That’s really what happened.”

He also revealed a painting made by the filmmaker had OJ Simpson’s face on it, but was only covered up with the former California governor’s face when he landed the role.

“On the painting that I have at home – it was painted by Jim Cameron. Underneath my face is actually OJ Simpson’s face. It was already painted on it, with the leather jacket and the gun in the hand. I have the painting in my office. So if anyone would ever scrape off the part of my face, underneath will be OJ.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Terminator
On the other hand, Cameron clarified on Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace via Variety that he never agreed to have Simpson on board The Terminator film.

“Very early on, a highly placed person at one of the two studios that funded that film had a brilliant idea and called me up and said, ‘Are you sitting down?’ I said, ‘Well, no, I’m not.’ He said, ‘Are you sitting? O.J. Simpson for the Terminator!’ I said, ‘I actually think that’s a bad idea.’ It didn’t go anywhere.”

He also refuted Schwarzenegger’s statement about the painting. Cameron said via Los Angeles Times that he never drew Simpson’s face, and he was not in any way part of the whole concept.

“I didn’t make the painting for him. I made the painting for us, for the production, of him as the Terminator. There’s no O.J. under that painting. O.J. Simpson was never in the mix at all. That was rejected out of hand before it ever got any traction.”

The behind-the-scenes of how Schwarzenegger became the Terminator is as interesting as the movie itself.

Arnold Schwarzenegger Knew How To Play The Terminator

Arnold Schwarzenegger in The Terminator
Arnold Schwarzenegger initially auditioned for Kyle Reese, but during his meeting with the director, he gave pointers on how the Terminator should be portrayed (via The Howard Stern Show):

“I said, ‘I know you guys have already probably hired O.J. Simpson, [to play the Terminator, but] whoever is playing it, I just want you to be clear that he has to train himself; to sample weapons and put weapons together and to shoot and to load the weapons, [and to do all of this] totally blindfolded.”

Cameron suggested the actor should play the Terminator, and after much deliberation, Schwarzenegger accepted the proposal, and the rest is history.