There have been six Terminator movies, a spin-off TV series, and an animated Netflix streaming series. However, one of the original actors from James Cameron’s movies has an idea of why none of the sequels after Judgment Day matched up to the first two movies. After Terminator: Judgment Day, the box office numbers dropped, while both critics and fans remained disappointed in the franchise’s later films. There were good things about all the sequels, but they will never be seen in the same light as the first two movies. There are several reasons why, but one of the original actors has his own take on why the sequels didn’t quite work.
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Speaking with ComicBook’s Chris Killian to celebrate the finale of Tulsa King, Robert Patrick said that he has a good idea what happened with the Terminator sequels and why none of them matched up with the first two films. Patrick, who played the T-1000 in Terminator 2: Judgment Day, said it was all about the director. “I really think [Terminator 2: Judgment Day]’s one of the greatest films of all time. It’s action, it’s sci-fi, it’s a family story… It’s a horror film, it’s a post-apocalyptic movie, there’s so many elements to it,” Patrick said. “People will ask me, well, why do you think the other Terminators aren’t as good… I’ll say, James Cameron. I mean, that’s the only thing you could say. I mean, he’s the guy. He’s the guy.”
Robert Patrick Considers James Cameron One of World’s Best Directors
Robert Patrick also had a lot of great things to say about James Cameron and what he brought to the Terminator franchise and beyond. According to Patrick, it was Cameron who was responsible for all the success of the movies, and he said that he owes the director his career. “The fact that he cast me, I was a complete unknown, and thankfully, he was looking for an unknown,” Patrick said.
He then mentioned that rock star Billy Idol was supposed to play the T-1000 in Terminator 2: Judgment Day. When Idol was involved in a motorcycle accident, Cameron decided to find someone unknown, and he chose Patrick. “That created the opportunity for me, and we got that, seized the moment, and the film worked out,” Patrick said. “And you know, 35 years later, people are still talking about it, and it’s with me everywhere I go.”
Terminator 2: Judgment Day was the eighth movie of Robert Patrick’s career, with his biggest movie before that being Die Hard 2. His role as the T-1000 was so popular that he cameoed in Wayne’s World in the same role in a gag when Wayne Campbell was pulled over by the police, and again in Last Action Hero, an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie that took place in an alternate world. He also joined the cast of The X-Files to replace David Duchovny in its later seasons.
Three decades later, Patrick’s career has taken off again. He starred as Auggie Smith in Peacemaker’s first two seasons, and has starred in both Reacher Season 2 and Tulsa King Season 3 in lead roles.
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