OJ Simpson WASN’T Cast As The Terminator Before Arnold Schwarzenegger

Whenever someone passes away, one of the things that immediately happens naturally is that we collectively reflect on the person’s legacy – both the good and the bad parts of it. OJ is complex, and his televised murder case of 1994 is the thing most of us will likely remember about him. Interestingly, OJ Simpson’s involvement in the Terminator movie franchise is one of the plotlines emerging about him after his demise. Could he have been the one to give us those famous words, “I’ll be back” instead of Arnold? If true, history could have taken a different course, not just for movies but possibly for Simpson’s life.

What Schwarzenegger Said About OJ Simpson As The Terminator

In June 2023, Netflix released a docuseries about Arnold Schwarzenegger, simply titled Arnold. It aimed to present a nuanced exploration of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s life beyond the typical hero worship many of us were used to giving or hearing about. The doccie was divided into three parts, each dealing neatly with themes or stages of the former governor’s life.

The ” Athlete ” episode documented Schwarzenegger’s bodybuilding journey, tracing his origins in Austria and the determination that took him to multiple Mr. Olympia titles.

Then the second, “Actor”, charted his improbable transition to Hollywood stardom, exploring his challenges, from overcoming a thick ‘foreign’ accent and navigating comedic flops to eventually establishing himself as a big-time action hero.

Finally, “American” examined his foray into politics, including his unexpected win to become Governor of California and the complexities he encountered in politics.

The documentary did a great job of painting a portrait of a man who’s been loved and revered as an entertainer for decades, but in the second episode, Arnold mentioned something that could easily have been missed when he discussed his role as the Terminator. He mentioned that OJ Simpson was initially one of the primary options for the lead role, but this ended up not panning out as OJ simply didn’t look like he could be convincing as a “killing machine”.

The Independent claims that in their interview with Schwarzenegger in 2019, Arnold said the same thing: “It was actually OJ Simpson that was the first cast Terminator… 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.”

I realize that Arnold claims that OJ 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 OJ. Not even for a nanosecond. #TheTerminator #OJSimpson

— Gale Anne Hurd (@GunnerGale) April 12, 2024

Has Schwarzenegger Been Lying?

With Simpson now having lost his battle with cancer, the story is being resurrected again, but for entirely different reasons. In the Arnold documentary, James Cameron directly contradicted Schwarzenegger’s story, stating that Simpson was never a serious contender for the role. This has fueled accusations of embellishment against Schwarzenegger. Some have gone as far as to accuse Arnie of lying about the Terminator casting. The lack of concrete evidence surrounding Simpson’s potential involvement and the conflicting narratives about what these very high-profile Hollywood individuals said have sparked debate online for a long time. Who’s telling the truth, and who’s lying?

Here’s my take, and perhaps it’s too simple for the tastes of modern-day tea farmers: maybe nobody’s lying here. When movies are made, it’s normal for different actors and other celebrities (even non-actors) to be considered for specific roles. On our site, we often have fun teasing the idea of someone possibly inhabiting a character and imagining what it might look like. Sometimes, readers will give us a thumbs-up and say they hadn’t thought of that, even drooling at the possibility. But there are also times when our ideas will be slammed, deemed laughable and silly. It’s a part of entertainment, and it’s fun – or at least it should be.

Schwarzenegger may have gone too far by saying that OJ Simpson was actually cast for the Terminator, or maybe he was misquoted when all he meant to say was that Simpson was one of many other options. It’s hard to say. It could be taking things too far to say he lied about it. On the flip side, I go back to how I began this article: when a person dies, we evaluate their legacy – the good and the bad.

OJ Simpson’s legacy is a mixed bag. The man had many brilliant highs and many terrible lows. It’s also possible that Arnold Schwarzenegger is telling the truth about how seriously the man was considered for the Terminator role, but maybe Cameron dismissed that statement because of how tricky OJ Simpson’s legacy became precisely a decade after the cyborg assassin from the future hit our screens.

Do you believe Arnold Schwarzenegger lied about OJ Simpson’s casting in The Terminator, or is this all about nothing? 

In related news, here’s why the Terminator franchise should return to its horror roots.