The iconic Terminator line “I´ll be back” was actually not how actor Arnold Schwarzenegger wanted to say it. He discussed it with the director, but he insisted on the script’s requirement.
In an interview with Hollywood Reporter in May 2023, the Terminator actor Arnold Schwarzenegger talked about his life and career.
When asked about the most famous quote as Terminator “I´ll be back” (in German: Ich komme wieder), Schwarzenegger said that he actually didn’t want to say the line.
“Are you now the screenwriter?“
The actor did not like the “I´ll“ in the pronunciation. It simply sounded unpleasant to him. So he went to the film’s director, James Cameron, and said: “I think it sounds stronger to say: ‘I will be back’.
The director denied this and referred to the version in the script. But the actor didn’t give up easily and insisted that it didn’t sound good in that form and that the Terminator would say the line more clearly.
Also on the Graham Norton Show, the actor recounted the story behind his famous line. Here you can see the YouTube video about it:
Cameron then asked: “Are you now the screenwriter? It’s just a word. Don’t tell me how to write. I’m not telling you how to act.“
“You tell me how to act every damn minute! What are you talking about?!“ was Schwarzenegger’s response.
The director then explained in detail why he wanted the actor to say the line exactly like that:
Arnold, you think it sounds strange. But it doesn’t. What makes it great is that you sound different than me or Charlie over there. That’s what matters. So just say it 10 times. Say it in different ways. I’ll keep the camera rolling. Then we’ll choose one.
via Hollywood Reporter
Even when Arnold Schwarzenegger wanted to make Terminator 2 even more brutal, the director stopped the actor, as you can read here with our colleagues from Moviepilot.
Exactly what Schwarzenegger did: “They started filming and I said: ‘(Emotionless) I’ll be back … (cheerful) I’ll be back! … (guttural) I’ll beeee baaaack ‘ It sounded stupid.“
Even though the actor had resisted the quote back then, he was glad in hindsight that the director insisted on that one line in that way.
Because shortly after the release, it had developed into the iconic catchphrase of the Terminator among fans and remains one of the most famous movie quotes to this day.
We recently asked you which Arnold Schwarzenegger movie is the best. You chose a clear winner:
These are the 5 best movies that, in your opinion, Arnold Schwarzenegger has made
