- Arnold Schwarzenegger says the plot of his 1991 film, "Terminator 2," "has become a reality."
- In the franchise, machines plot to overthrow mankind in the year 2029.
Arnold Schwarzenegger says the futuristic plot of his 1991 hit "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" isn't seeming so far-fetched anymore.
"At that time, we scratched the surface of AI, artificial intelligence. Think about that," Schwarzenegger told a sold-out crowd Wednesday evening at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles ahead of a screening of the James Cameron blockbuster in which artificial intelligence becomes sentient and plots to eradicate mankind in the not-too-distant future.
"Today, everyone is frightened of it, of where this is gonna go," Schwarzenegger continued, commenting briefly on the current discourse around AI as companies consider how, if at all, to utilize artificial intelligence.
"In this movie, in 'Terminator,' we talk about the machines becoming self-aware and they take over," Schwarzenegger said of the franchise, praising Cameron's foresight and "brilliant writing."
"Now, after all those decades, it has become a reality. It's not any more fantasy or kind of futuristic. It is here today. And so this is the extraordinary writing of Jim Cameron," he said.
As a special 3D screening for "Judgment Day" began later in the evening and the words "Los Angeles 2029 A.D." appeared on screen, the crowd in the David Geffen theater erupted in nervous laughter.
The sequel to the 1984 film, sees Schwarzenegger not as a killer, but as a protector of future resistance leader John Connor (Edward Furlong). Another more advanced terminator, the T-1000, played by Robert Patrick, is sent back in time to kill John to ensure the machines' victory.
During the nearly hour-long conversation while promoting his upcoming limited edition photo book, "Arnold," Schwarzenegger said the idea initially concerned him.
"At the beginning I was suspicious," Schwarzenegger said of becoming a protagonist. "I said, 'What do you mean a good terminator? I was killing 68 people in the first one. I said, 'In the second one, I have to kill 150.'"
"I said I got to outdo Stallone," Schwarzenegger said playfully of his former box-office rivalry with Sylvester Stallone. The two "disliked each other immensely" before becoming good friends in recent years.
"I said, remember my whole mission is I gotta be No. 1 in killing the amount of people," Schwarzenegger said, before Cameron reeled him in. "He says, 'Arnold, stop it. You're a very sick guy.'"
Schwarzenegger then learned he wasn't just going to be playing the good guy.
Unlike the first film, Schwarzenegger's character surprisingly doesn't kill anyone in "Judgment Day," something he also took issue with when Cameron presented him with the sequel idea.
"He says, 'I am gonna make sure that in 'Terminator 2,' you're not gonna kill one single person. I said, 'Well, that is the stupidest thing I've ever heard," Schwarzenegger said of his reaction to Cameron's pitch. "I said, how can we do 'Terminator 2' without me killing nobody?"
Cameron explained his mission in the sequel was different. They couldn't do the same movie twice.
In "Judgment Day," Schwarzenegger's Terminator swears to not kill any innocent people and if you watch closely, his character makes a point to knock out or shoot anyone who isn't the T-1000 in a non-lethal way.
It became Schwarzenegger's highest-grossing movie, earning $520 million worldwide.
"It's the brilliance of Jim Cameron," Schwarzenegger said. "He's just such an extraordinary writer and he's such an unbelievable director. This is one of those things that I wish I could take credit for this movie. I can only take credit of the character that I played and the way I played it."