Arnold Schwarzenegger was supposed to save the world. Instead, he became the machine sent to destroy it.

Released on October 26, 1984, The Terminator helped redefine the sci-fi thriller. But James Cameron’s classic nearly had a very different cast. Schwarzenegger was initially considered for Kyle Reese, the human resistance fighter, while studio executive Mike Medavoy suggested O.J. Simpson as the unstoppable cyborg assassin.

Cameron rejected the Simpson idea, according to the British Film Institute . But his meeting with Schwarzenegger would lead to an even more consequential casting reversal—and one of Hollywood’s most recognizable villains.

Next: 2002 Arnold Schwarzenegger Film, Turned Down by Harrison Ford, Changed Forever After 9/11

James Cameron Didn’t Want Schwarzenegger in the Movie

Cameron recalled approaching his first meeting with Schwarzenegger expecting to dismiss the casting proposal.

“I have to go pick a fight with Conan,” Cameron remembered telling his roommate in a 2021 BFI interview…