TERMINATOR: DARK FATE Director Originally Wanted Sarah Connor to Be "Softer" and "Relatable" and Linda Hamilton Was Like, Hell No!
Fans couldn’t be more excited to see Linda Hamilton returning to the role of Sarah Connor in Terminator: Dark Fate after all these years! I personally never thought I’d see it happen, but it is happening, and as you’ve seen in the trailer for the film, she is going to be totally badass!
Well, it turns out that the original take on the character in this film — the original vision for her by director Tim Miller — was to make her “softer” and more “relatable.” These are two things that Sarah Connor is not! Thankfully, Hamilton stepped up to the plate to shoot down this vision of the character.
Taking on this role again was a big deal for Hamilton, and she did not want to screw it up and give the audience a Sarah Connor that was not Sarah Connor. It’s been revealed that she refused to say certain lines in the script that were intended to soften up her character.
While talking to THR, Hamilton talked about a detailed e-mail from producer James Cameron that laid out the pros and cons saying:
“We were both worried about letting the fans down. Pros: If it is good, then we will both be happy. And, if it’s bad, then we are gonna look like assholes. There is also the shameless money grab. Then there was the life question: Do I really want to trade in my lovely, balanced life to descend into this madness again? But I am truly glad I did.”
She went on to talk about how there were aspects of the script that she didn’t really care for. She explained, “I’m not usually that actress that goes, ‘Oh my character!’ I have never been that actress, but I was a little bit on this film because I am the authority on Sarah Connor.” It’s a good thing she was!
Her biggest issues were how the creative team was trying to make Sarah Connor more “relatable” and “softer.” When talking about that, she said:
“In terms of approach, [Tim Miller] wanted her ‘relatable.’ That was the word he used. And I was like Sarah Connor has never been relatable! She was relatable in the first movie as a nice waitress, but what do you mean ‘relatable’? You are trying to make her softer? I just knew that with the time that had passed and as her situation changed, she ain’t relatable…But I would go, ‘Nope, I am not saying that.’ And a couple of times I was like, ‘I am not saying that. That’s stupid.’ I have always been empowered to say those things but I just have never been that person. I just care so intensely about this character that I had to step up and toe the line about what felt right and what didn’t feel right.”
Good for her! There’s no doubt that the movie will be better because of her understanding of the character that for some reason Tim Miller didn’t get. Thankfully, Miller was also open to listening to Hamilton and implementing her vision and ideas for the character.
Terminator: Dark Fate opens November 1, 2019.