Trivia

The original script did not call for the top of the truck to be ripped off during the chase through the storm drain beside/beneath the freeway, but when they arrived on location they found that the cab wouldn't fit under the overpass so director James Cameron decided that the roof was going to have to come off.

SFX crew had to incorporate Robert Patrick's football-injury limp in their animation of the T1000. Next, they filmed the stuff with the T1000 pretending to be driving from the right-hand steering wheel (wearing a mirror-image police uniform), while the real driver was hidden under a black hood at the lowered real steering wheel. For the final film, the scenes were flipped left-to-right to make it all look right, and combined with footage shot with a normal truck driving in the drain. This was done so that Patrick could concentrate on acting rather than driving. They accidentally caught a street sign; after they mirror-imaged the scene, they digitally reversed the text on the sign so it would appear correct.

Charlie Korsmo was offered the role of John Connor, but he could not accept the role due to obligations to What About Bob?.

Most of Edward Furlong's voice had to be re-dubbed by Furlong again in post-production because it changed during shooting. His young voice is left intact only in the scene where he and Terminator are talking about why people cry, because James Cameron wanted it to sound dramatic and thought it was better if left intact.

Linda Hamilton's twin sister, Leslie Hamilton Gearren was used as a double in scenes involving two "Sarah Connors" (i.e., when the T1000 was imitating her), and in a scene not in the theatrical release (but on the DVD) as a mirror image of Linda.

Arnold Schwarzenegger's young daughter screamed the first time she saw her father's face made-up to show the robotics appearing underneath the skin tissue.

Identical twins Don Stanton and Dan Stanton played the hospital security guard and the T1000.

Production took sufficiently long that Edward Furlong visibly aged during the shoot - he is clearly much younger in the desert, for instance, than in other scenes. His voice began to break and had to be pitched to one level in post-production.

The Terminator says "I need a vacation", which Arnold Schwarzenegger previously said in Kindergarten Cop. This was not in the script, but ad-libbed.

The badge on the T1000's uniform reads "Austin" (named after producer Stephanie Austin), although it is not fully visible in the film. Austin is also the name of Robert Patrick's daughter.

Out of all the time-traveling terminators in the series, the T-1000 is the only one that doesn't have any first-person "terminator vision" moments.

In the ATM scene, the PIN code that John Connor types into the laptop is 9003.

A female passer-by actually wandered onto the biker bar set thinking it was real, despite walking past all the location trucks, cameras and lights. Seeing Arnold Schwarzenegger standing in the bar dressed only in boxer shorts, she wondered aloud what was going on, only for Schwarzenegger to reply that it was male stripper night.

Linda Hamilton learned to pick locks for the scene in the mental hospital where she does precisely that with a paperclip.

Due to the tight schedules, there were three editors involved - Mark Goldblatt, Conrad Buff IV and Richard A. Harris - who all worked on separate segments of the film.

Sound designer Gary Rydstrom added some lion roars to the sounds of the tanker truck that the T-1000 drives down the freeway to add some extra menace.

Special F/X guru Stan Winston and his crew studied hours of nuclear test footage in order to make Sarah Connor's "nuclear nightmare" scene as real as possible. In late 1991, members of several U.S. federal nuclear testing labs unofficially declared it "the most accurate depiction of a nuclear blast ever created for a fictional motion picture". For Sarah's nightmare of the nuclear holocaust, some of the materials used in the miniature Los Angeles model that mimicked all the destroyed masonry were Matzos crackers and Shredded Wheat. After each take, it would take on average two days to set the model up to shoot again.

Local residents in Lakeview Terrace held a protest outside the Medical Center when it was dressed up to be the Pescadero State Hospital for the Criminally Insane. They quickly realized it was in fact only a film set.

Industrial Light and Magic's computer graphics department had to grow from six artists to almost 36 to accommodate all the work required to bring the T-1000 to life, costing $5.5 million and taking 8 months to produce, which ultimately amounted to 3.5 minutes of screen time.

The movie's line "Hasta la vista, baby." was voted as the #76 movie quote by the American Film Institute (out of 100).

The Terminator's "point-of-view" scenes at the biker's bar identify a Harley Davidson "Fatboy", and a carcinogen in the cigar smoke.

Arnold Schwarzenegger said during the making of this film that he would never play another evil character again, but he later played the villain Mr. Freeze in Batman & Robin.

John's foster parents are named Todd and Janelle Voight. This means that if he'd legally taken their name, he would have been Jon Voight.

Arnold Schwarzenegger was given a slightly used Gulfstream III airplane (worth about $14 million) by producer Mario Kassar for accepting the role.

According to James Cameron, Linda Hamilton suffered permanent hearing loss in one ear during the elevator shootout because she had not replaced her ear plugs after removing them between takes.

Robert Patrick mimicked the head movements of the American bald eagle for his role as T-1000.

Held the world record for highest opening-weekend gross of an R-rated film (with $52,306,548) until The Matrix Reloaded.

The liquid metal CGI effects of the T-1000 were rendered on a Silicon Graphics IRIS Indigo workstation.

In 78 years, this is the only sequel to win an Academy Award when the previous movie wasn't even nominated.

After losing the mall fight the T-1000 is thrown through a display window by the T-800. The T-1000 picks up and examines a mannequin's silver colored head, similar looking to his own while in his liquid metal state.

The T800's bike jump into the storm drain was performed by stuntman Peter Kent. The motorbike was supported by one-inch cables, so that when they hit the ground, the bike and rider only weighed 180 pounds. The cables were later digitally erased.

James Cameron asked special effects creator Stan Winston to direct a teaser-trailer. Cameron didn't want the trailer to just be early footage, and so with a budget of $150,000, Winston created a trailer that showed a futuristic assembly line churning out copies of Terminators, all of which looked like Arnold Schwarzenegger. Cameron was pleased with this trailer, as he had fears about audience reactions to trailers showing Schwarzenegger returning as a Terminator (after the Terminator in the first film was clearly destroyed).

Given Arnold Schwarzenegger's $15-million salary and his total of 700 words of dialog, he was paid $21,429 per word. "Hasta la vista, baby" cost $85,716.

The Cyberdyne building in the movie is in fact a two-story structure in Fremont, CA. A phony third floor was constructed on top for the movie. Much of the structure was rebuilt after the filming and the building exists to this day.

According to the LAPD computer system that the T-1000 accessed at the beginning of the film, John Connor's date of birth was Feb. 28, 1985. His arrest record is file #J66455705, and includes allegations of trespass, shoplifting, disturbing the peace and vandalism.

Because of Edward Furlong's small stature during filming, his stunt double, who was older and larger, used a bigger version of the dirt bike for filming the chase scene.

Carolco studio executives were nervous and concerned when the original budget of $75 million ballooned up to $88 million, with more to come. In order to keep the budget manageable, they proposed to eliminate a few scenes, particularly the opening biker bar scene where the Terminator was introduced. They tried to get Arnold Schwarzenegger to persuade James Cameron to remove that scene, but Schwarzenegger turned them down, saying, "Only a studio guy would cut a scene out like that."

The 10-gauge shotgun used by Arnold Schwarzenegger during the majority of the film is a six-shot Winchester Model 1887. It was invented by gun designer John Browning and was the first commercially successful repeating shotgun. James Cameron confirmed that it is a 10-gauge shotgun, not a 12-gauge, in the commentary.

Ranked #8 on the American Film Institute's list of the 10 greatest films in the genre "Sci-Fi" in June 2008.

According to sound supervisor Gloria S. Borders, approximately 70% of the dialog, and most of the breathing, is ADR (Automated Dialog Replacement/Dubbing). General rule of thumb: the more action in a movie, the more ADR and Foley processing.

Lead singer of heavy metal band WASP, Blackie Lawless, was considered for the role of the liquid-metal T-1000, although his height proved to be a problem. The role of the original Terminator had been written for a man of average stature, who could easily blend in to a crowd, and James Cameron wanted to apply that original concept to dramatic effect for the T-1000. In an AOL chat, Lawless explained: "Probably the biggest regret that I have, though I didn't turn it down, was a part in Terminator 2 that Robert Patrick got. Arnold Schwarzenegger wanted me to do the part, but when he found out I was 6'4", I couldn't. I regret not being able to do that."

Footage from this movie was used in a 2008 DirecTV commercial.

When moving through a crowd, Robert Patrick patterned himself after a shark moving in on its prey.

After the release of The Abyss (featuring the infamous pseudo-pod scene), James Cameron felt he was ready to start working on this film. However, he knew that half of the film's rights was owned by Hemdale (producer of The Terminator) - ultimately went bankrupt - and the lack of funding prevented him from working. While working on Total Recall with Mario Kassar and Andrew G. Vajna, Arnold Schwarzenegger learned of Cameron's intention to work on the film and it was him who urged Kassar and Vajna to buy the rights from Hemdale. Finally, they bought it in February 1990 and Cameron would only start work the following month.

On the DVD, by highlighting "Sensory Control" and pressing the right navigation button five times until the words "The Future is Not Set" appear, then selecting the phrase, the menu will alter, offering the Theatrical Version of the film instead of the Special Edition for viewing.

Linda Hamilton turned down a part in another movie after hearing a simple outline of the plot by director James Cameron.

When the project was first announced in late 1984, the projected budget was $12 million. The final budget was $102 million.

Linda Hamilton trained with former Israeli commando Uzi Gal and with personal trainer Anthony Cortes for three hours a day, six days a week for 13 weeks before filming. Under both, she trained intensely with weights and learned judo and heavy military training techniques. She had to maintain a demanding non-fat diet even during filming and lost 12 pounds. Because of this punishing regimen, she declined to reprise her role for "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines." Ironically, her identical twin sister Leslie Hamilton Gearren was only required to "hit the gym" for a few hours a week and the difference is visible in the two scenes they star in together.

The highest-grossing movie of 1991.

When Sarah leaves her sniper's position in Dyson's yard, she walks past the pool. The pools surface should be still, but it is undulating like stormy waters in an open bay for a dramatic effect.

When John takes off on motorbike from the mall chased by the T-1000, he is riding a Honda XR 80 or 100 which has a 4-stroke engine. It was dubbed with a 2-stroke sound to create a strong contrast with the Terminator's Harley.

Because of the amount of makeup Arnold Schwarzenegger had to wear for the climax, he was blinded in one eye and had no depth perspective.

First Terminator movie to feature a T-800 model, which didn't kill anyone. None of the sequels' T-800s killed anyone either.

In the audio commentary, James Cameron says the opening sequence was filmed using 300 frames per second.

In the first chase scene, the T-101's shotgun has an extra-large finger loop in its lever to make it easier to cycle the action by twirling. This trick was performed by 'John Wayne' in several of his Westerns, including True Grit, Stagecoach, and El Dorado.

Pilot Charles A. Tamburro actually flew the helicopter under the overpass in the final chase scene. The camera crew refused to film the shot because of the high risk involved. James Cameron did the filming with the help of the camera car driver.

Arnold Schwarzenegger wasn't sure initially about the Terminator not being able to kill people; he suspected the studio were trying to soften the violence like on Conan the Destroyer. He felt that had destroyed the Conan series and didn't want to see it happen with this series as well, but since Terminator 2 was rated R, he relaxed a little.

Shot in eight months, compared to the first film's six-week filming schedule. It had to be ready for the Summer of 1991 to meet its financial commitments.

The stunt scenes were rehearsed months in advance. The storm drain sequence was painful for Arnold Schwarzenegger because he couldn't wear a glove while cocking the gun; it would get stuck in the mechanism. He tore the skin from his fingers and hand 100 times before he mastered it, all while riding a Harley and acting at the same time, as well as trying to watch where you're driving while James Cameron is telling you to look at a certain area. He couldn't dart his eyes either because it would have ruined the shot. Shooting the gates also took weeks of practice because he had to act cool too.

Joel Kramer:  Stunt coordinator Joel Kramer appears as the guard in the hospital security room.

Van Ling:  The DVD producer and FX Coordinator appears as Dyson's assistant in the lab.

James Cameron:  [nice cut]  during the opening credits: the cut from the playing children to the dark future.

Filmed scenes not included in the theatrical release (but restored in the Special Edition): - Directly after the pre-med students peer into Sarah's room, the doctor reminds the orderlies to make sure she gets her medication. The cut scene was of the staff coming in to give her the pills. She refuses, so they smack her in the gut with their batons and force the pills down her throat, then kick her while she's on the floor doubled over in pain. - Another hospital scene was cut that took place after John Connor robs the ATM and heads for the mall. Sarah Connor was to have a dream where Reese appears and warns her that THEIR son is in danger. She has to save him, etc. They kiss and hug, but Reese disappears and walks out. Sarah chases him outside, to find herself in the same spot as the nuclear nightmare scene later in the movie. She sees the large white flash, and then she wakes up. This is the only scene that Michael Biehn was in, and appeared in some promotional trailers. Cameron cut the scene because he thought that audiences who had not seen the first movie would be confused by the appearance of Kyle. - A scene showing the T-1000 at the scene of the crashed truck in the canal, where he steals a police car. - After the T-1000 kills John's foster parents, he ventures outside to get the dog to shut-up. He reaches down and snatches the collar off the dog, thus killing the dog. On the collar is stamped the dog's name "Max". The T-1000 realizes he has been duped by John (actually the Terminator imitating John's voice) by calling the dog "Wolfie." - After killing the dog, the T-1000 goes to John's room to try to find any clues as to where John might be. He stalks around the room waving his arms and "feeling" things on the shelves, on the walls, etc. He eventually stops in front of a poster, realizes there is something behind it, rips it down and finds a box of mementos (pictures, and the like). This must be where the T-1000 figures out about the desert compound that Sarah, John, and the Terminator head to after the hospital. Director James Cameron decided to cut it because the T-1000's sampling abilities were already sufficiently conveyed in earlier scenes, so this scene became redundant (and because it made the T-1000 look too much like it had x-ray vision). This scene was NOT included in the SE. - At the abandoned gas station, a scene involved Sarah and John talking with the Terminator about learning. He tells them that his CPU was switched to read-only before being sent out. Skynet doesn't want them to learn too much while on their own. John asks if it can be reset. You then see the Terminator's face in a "mirror" talking Sarah through the procedure. A puppet was used for the foreground Sarah to work on and Linda Hamilton's twin sister Leslie Hamilton Gearren was in the mirror mimicking Linda's hand movements. After the CPU is removed, the Terminator shuts-down and Sarah places it on a table. She picks up a hammer and tries to smash it to render him inoperative. John stops her and says they need him. He starts to show authority for the first time and asks her how he is supposed to be a great military leader if even his own mother won't listen to him. They reinsert the chip back into the Terminator's head. - A scene at a truck stop before John, Sarah and Terminator arrive at the Salceda farm. John points out to the Terminator that he shouldn't be so serious all the time. He encourages him to smile once in a while. The Terminator tries to perform a smile, but the result is less than convincing, so John encourages him to practice in front of a mirror. - Directly after Terminator tells Sarah about Miles Dyson, there is a scene where we see Dyson in his private residence, where his wife tells him he is much too focused on finishing his microchip. - Some more dialog between John and the Terminator as they assemble weapons in the desert. John tells about his unusual childhood, and ask Terminator if he experiences emotions. - Before Sarah takes aim at Dyson, we see her approaching the house and setting up weapons. - A scene in Cyberdyne, where Dyson destroys the model of his revolutionary microchip. - In the steel mill, the T-1000 experiences some negative effects from being frozen earlier. It has difficulties maintaining his form when it touches other materials, like steel bars and the floor. This leads to another deleted shot, where John sees the two Sarahs and recognizes the fake one because its feet seem fused to the metal floor. - A scene in a Skynet-free future, with Sarah Connor as an older woman giving a monologue about how John became a senator. This scene was NOT included in the SE, because James Cameron felt it just didn't fit the dark, gloomy atmosphere of the rest of the movie.

In the final scene, the lines "I cannot self-terminate. You must lower me in the steel" were looped by Arnold Schwarzenegger in post-production, because a test audience didn't understand why Terminator needed Sarah to help him commit suicide.

In each Terminator film the villainous character's death is greeted with the word "Terminated" in some way: John Connor asks "Is it dead?" (of the melted T1000) to which the Terminator replies "Terminated".

The effect of the T-1000 freezing and breaking up was achieved through prosthetics attached to an amputee and with Robert Patrick's real limbs buried underneath the set.

James Cameron's own screams are used for the death throes of the T-1000.

When the Terminator tells Sarah Connor about Miles Dyson and the history of Skynet, Arnold Schwarzenegger was reading his lines from a card taped to the car's windshield.

The Terminator is the only character to be listed in the American Film Institute's 100 Heroes and Villains as both a villain (for The Terminator) and a hero (for Terminator 2: Judgment Day). Al Pacino and Arnold Schwarzenegger are the only two actors to be on the list as playing a villain and a hero but Pacino played two different characters. 13 other actors and actresses appear twice or more but either all as heroes or all as villains.

For the early promotion of the movie, media material avoided showing Arnold Schwarzenegger's character, the T-800, together with John Connor (Edward Furlong), in order to hide the fact that Schwarzenegger played a 'good' Terminator this time. Later trailers and pictures would reveal that he did not play the 'bad guy' this time.

While Arnold Schwarzenegger and Robert Patrick share several scenes together, they never exchange a single line of dialogue face to face. The only instance seen where dialogue is spoken between the two is when the T-800 tells the frozen T-1000, "Hasta la vista, baby", which the T-1000 could not hear (they do however exchange words over the phone, with the T-800 speaking in John's voice and the T-1000 speaking in Jenelle's).