"Terminator" Producer Gale Anne Hurd Clarified Whether O.J. Simpson Was Ever Considered For The Role
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The Terminator producer Gale Anne Hurd responded to a rumor about the legendary sci-fi franchise following O.J. Simpson's death.
Gale produced major blockbuster TV shows and movies, including the three earliest Terminator films, Armageddon, The Incredible Hulk, and the Walking Dead franchise.
In the wake of O.J. Simpson's death on Wednesday, rumors resurfaced that the former NFL football player was cast in the 1984 James Cameron-directed movie.
In a statement issued on his social media account, the Simpson family announced he died on April 10 at age 76 from cancer.
In 2019, Arnold Schwarzenegger, who starred as the time-traveling Terminator robot, told The Independent he wasn't initially the first choice for the role.
"It was actually O.J. Simpson that was the first cast, Terminator," Arnold said. "Then somehow [James Cameron] felt that he was not as believable for a killing machine. So then they hired me. That's really what happened."
Arnold even claimed that he owned concept artwork painted by the film's director that originally featured O.J. "On the painting that I have at home – it was painted by Jim Cameron," Arnold said. "Underneath my face is actually O.J. Simpson's face. It was already painted on it, with the leather jacket and the gun in the hand."
In a 2023 episode of Who's Talking to Chris Wallace, James Cameron, who directed The Terminator and its sequel Terminator: Judgment Day, suggested the O.J. casting decision never made it that far.
"Very early on, a highly placed person at one of the two studios that funded that film had a brilliant idea and called me up and said, 'Are you sitting down?' I said, 'Well, no, I'm not.' He said, 'Are you sitting? O.J. Simpson for the Terminator!' I said, 'I actually think that's a bad idea.' It didn't go anywhere. I think it's historically interesting."
In a Los Angeles Times interview, James revealed that it was Orion Pictures' executive Mike Medavoy who originally pitched O.J., but it was "rejected out of hand before it ever got any traction."
"Let me correct that right now," Jame said. "Arnold is literally just wrong. I know it's hard to imagine! You don't argue with Arnold."
"I got a call from Mike Medavoy who ran Orion, which was jointly financing with Hemdale," James continued. "And Medavoy said, ‘Are you sitting down? I’ve got this movie cast: O.J. Simpson as The Terminator and Arnold Schwarzenegger as [Kyle] Reese.’”
"Gale Hurd and I looked at each other like that was the stupidest thing we’d ever heard in our lives,” James added. “And I told him on that phone call, ‘It’s not O.J. Simpson. We’re not doing that.’ And he said, ‘Well, will you meet with Arnold Schwarzenegger?’”
Now the Terminator casting conversation is going viral again amid O.J.'s death, and Gale responded to hopefully settle the rumor once and for all.
Not true. Absolutely fiction. And I was there (with Jim) long before Arnold was cast. https://t.co/KEseKw0LE3
— Gale Anne Hurd (@GunnerGale) April 12, 2024
On April 11, Gale posted on X (formerly known as Twitter), "I realize that Arnold claims that O.J. Simpson was cast as The Terminator before we cast him. That is 100% NOT TRUE. And I should know."
"Jim and I never ever considered O.J. Not even for a nanosecond. #TheTerminator #OJSimpson"
20thcentfox / ©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection, Leon Bennett / Getty Images
OJ was featured in movies in the '90s, such as The Naked Gun franchise, and other TV series and films. But despite what others may claim, he was "never ever considered" for Terminator, according to the franchise's producer.
