Was O. J. Simpson really the first choice for The Terminator?
Check out if former NFL running back O.J. Simpson was in contention to play the famous role or not.
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L-Arnold Schwarzenegger in "The Terminator" and R- O. J. Simpson (Image via Yahoo Movies UK/MARCA)
O. J. Simpson is famous not just because he is one of the greatest running backs in NFL history but also for his public trial and acquittal in the murders of his wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman. This trial was dubbed ‘The Trail of the Century’ because of the global attention it garnered.
While ‘OJ’, as famously he is known, was a star on and off the field, there was an instance in his life when he was going to be even more famous prior to his trial. Apparently, the former Buffalo Bills running back was in the final stages of being cast as “The Terminator” instead of Arnold Schwarzenegger. The 7x Mr. Olympia winner reignited the rumor back in 2019 when he said that James Cameron, the director of the blockbuster movie, felt Simpson was “not believable for a killing machine” and proceeded with Arnold.
However, the Avatar director nullified Schwarzenegger’s statement earlier this year. James Cameron was a guest on “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace” where the host asked him if the rumors of casting O. J. Simpson were true or not.
Cameron said, “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.”
He also added that O. J. Simpson was never in the discussion of being cast and the pitch by the executive was never carried forward for discussion. Looks like Simpson, who used to run over defenders on the gridiron, didn’t make the cut for being a killing machine. It would’ve been ironic if he was cast as the Terminator.
Has O. J. Simpson acted in Hollywood?
After establishing himself as one of the best running backs in the NFL, OJ also dabbled in the acting world. He is most notably known for starring in The Naked Gun movies. The Pro Football Hall of Famer has also served as an executive producer for four television shows. Most recently, he had a small role in the 2018 TV show ‘Who is America?’
O.J. Simpson was released from prison in 2017 after he was found guilty in an armed robbery and kidnapping case. He was sentenced to 33 years in prison with 9 years without parole. He was released after serving his minimum sentence and now lives in a gated community in Las Vegas where he lived before.
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Yash Karandekar
(1023 Articles Published)