The new Terminator never blinks: 5 things to know about 'Dark Fate' killer Gabriel Luna

LOS ANGELES – There's a new Terminator in town with the franchise's sixth film, "Dark Fate" (now in theaters).

Played by "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." star Gabriel Luna, the new Terminator model is bigger and stronger than Arnold Schwarzenegger's T-800 and can split himself into two deadly killing machines.

His mission: Take out Dani Ramos (Natalia Reyes) – even if Schwarzenegger's Terminator, super-soldier Grace (Mackenzie Davis) and Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) stand in the way.

Luna, 36, might be the friendliest actor to come out of his hometown of Austin, Texas, but he assures us that this killer lives within him.

He just had to pull him out. "You have to truly feel the most righteous and most wicked exist in all of us," he says. "You really can’t be afraid to let it come out."

Hereare five things to know about his Luna and his Rev-9.

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This human-like machine never blinks

That freaky cold look Luna gives as his Rev-9 kills took work. The actor spent countless hours of preparation staring in the mirror "just trying to scare the (expletive) out of myself."

"I maintained as much stillness as I could. Energize the body, keep it taut like a bowstring and keep that frequency buzzing," says Luna. "If it’s really happening in your mind, heart and eyes, it will happen for the audience."

He didn't blink in training, and Luna doesn't blink onscreen. "Never, that was important to me," says Luna. "The eyes are everything. You don’t blink, you don’t breathe. You give a slight oddity to the character that you can’t place."

The new killing machine has lethal features

The Rev-9 is the latest advancement in anti-personal Terminator technology, with a liquid metal skin that can create different bladed weapons – a significant upgrade over the T-800's skin. Both the exoskeleton and endoskeleton are composed of carbon-based alloy much lighter and stronger than the previous Terminators.

Big bonus: The machine can split in two. "With the Rev-9, when they are together, they are much stronger. But for strategic reasons, they can separate and fight."

This Terminator does not crack jokes

Luna's Rev-9 can simulate human emotions far more effectively than past Terminators but has no time for funny one-liners. "I wanted to play it straight," he says.

While he has basically a singular one-liner in "Dark Fate," Luna still cracks up his actress wife Smaranda at home accidentally stealing Schwarzenegger's famous line. "I'll say, 'I'm running to Trader Joe's, I'll be back,' And she'll start giggling," says Luna.

He's so tough that he take shots to the head

The film's trailer shows Arnold's Terminator shooting the Rev-9 repeatedly at close range in the face. In reality, it was Schwarzenegger pointing a prop gun with a strobe light, and Luna "crazily" moving in a distorted fashion to mimic the impact.

The scene shows the Rev-9 face reforming as fast as the bullets fly into it. The Rev-9 is only temporarily halted. "He's always moving forward," says Luna.

He can do a killer Arnold impersonation

The Rev-9 can mimic humans perfectly. And after months with Schwarzenegger, Luna says he also perfected his "Ahnold" accent.

"I’m not making fun, I’m honoring him," says Luna. "He says Sly (Stallone) makes the most fun of him, so he's the biggest culprit. "

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Terminator: Dark Fate': 5 things to know about Gabriel Luna's killer