20 Facts You Might Not Know About ‘Terminator 2: Judgment Day”

During the opening war scene, the burnt cars, bikes, and other props had actually been burnt. They were debris brought in from a Universal Studios fire set in 1989 when a disgruntled employee torched one of the lots.

A bystander wandered into the biker bar between takes, not realizing she was on a movie set. Upon seeing Arnold Schwarzenegger at the bar in boxers, she asked what was going on. Schwarzenegger replied that he was a male stripper that evening.

Actors’ twins were used twice during the filming of scenes where T-1000 mimics the form of a human character. Linda Hamilton’s twin sister, Leslie Hamilton Gearren, played Sarah Connor during scenes when Linda was portraying the T-1000 imitation of Sarah. In addition, a security guard at the mental institution (played by Don Stanton) came face to face with a T-1000 replica of himself (played by his twin Dan Stanton) before being stabbed.

Shooting the film took so long that actor Edward Furlong was much taller and visibly older by the end. He had to stand in a hole for one shot late in production to maintain a consistent height. His voice also changed dramatically and had to be re-dubbed in post-production.

In order to run without appearing to grow fatigued, Robert Patrick trained by breathing only through his nose while exercising. In the end, he could easily catch up to Edward Furlong’s dirt bike and had to slow his pace during filming. He also trained himself never to blink while playing T-1000.

“Terminator 2: Judgment Day” was the first film to make over $300 million in international box office receipts.

During the chase scene through the storm drain, the top of the wrecker is ripped off by the overpass. That wasn’t scripted. The cab was too tall to fit under the bridge, so director James Cameron decided that the roof would have to go.

Linda Hamilton suffered permanent hearing loss after the elevator shootout scene because she forgot to replace her ear plugs between takes.

Stan Winston and his special effects crew watched hours of nuclear test footage to recreate a nuclear blast as accurately as possible. Several U.S. nuclear test lab employees have praised the film’s nuclear explosion scene for its veracity.

James Cameron’s first choice for T-1000 was Billy Idol, and preliminary sketches showed the robot looking very much like the rock star. Unfortunately, Idol was recovering from a motorcycle accident that had nearly cost him his leg and couldn’t take the role, which would have required him to run.

This was the only “Terminator” film to be nominated for Oscars – in six categories, in fact, of which it won four.

Arnold Schwarzenegger had to practice for weeks to perfect the L.A. River sequence, tearing skin off of his hand while cocking the gun repeatedly and training his eyes not to move as he shot and rode a Harley at the same time.

Local residents showed up to protest when the medical center was made up into the Pescadero State Hospital for the Criminally Insane, only to realize that it was just a film set.

The biker bar scene was filmed across the street from where LAPD officers viciously assaulted Rodney King. According to James Cameron, he was filming the night of the beating.

While seeking a streetwise kid for the role of John Connor, casting director Mali Finn wasn’t happy with the child actors who auditioned. She eventually found Edward Furlong at the Boys’ Club of Pasadena. His life even mirrored that of John Connor – he’d grown up without a father and had been separated from his mother. On set, Schwarzenegger became somewhat of a surrogate father to the young actor.

Producer Mario Kassar gave Arnold Schwarzenegger a Gulfstream III private jet for agreeing to appear in the film.

Linda Hamilton trained for three hours a day, six days a week, for 13 weeks to prepare for filming, and ate a strict no-fat diet during production. She also underwent weapons training with Israeli submachine gun designer Uzi Gal and learned judo.

Robert Patrick studied and mimicked the head movements of the American bald eagle and the graceful fluidity of the shark for his role as the high-tech hunter robot T-1000.

Linda Hamilton and James Cameron began a romantic relationship during filming and married in 1997, only to divorce two years later.

The final budget was $102 million – $90 million more than the first projected budget.