Question 1

True or false: The Terminator was originally rated R, but was re-edited to PG-13 for its theatrical release.

Accepted Answer

False. The Terminator was always rated R for violence and language, and was never edited down to PG-13.

Question 2

True or false: The film's iconic 'I'll be back' line was improvised by Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Accepted Answer

False. The line was written by James Cameron in the script. Schwarzenegger delivered it, but it wasn't ad-libbed.

Question 3

True or false: The Terminator's signature leather jacket was actually a biker jacket from a thrift store.

Accepted Answer

True. Costume designers bought a used Perfecto jacket for $100, distressed it further, and it became iconic.

Question 4

True or false: Arnold Schwarzenegger was not the first choice to play the Terminator.

Accepted Answer

True. Director James Cameron originally wanted Lance Henriksen for the role, but Schwarzenegger's audition convinced him otherwise.

Question 5

True or false: The Terminator was a box office flop when it first came out.

Accepted Answer

False. It was a surprise hit, grossing over $78 million worldwide on a $6.4 million budget.

Question 6

True or false: O.J. Simpson was considered for the role of the Terminator.

Accepted Answer

True. Cameron briefly considered Simpson because of his physicality, but decided he was too likable to be a convincing killer.

Question 7

True or false: James Cameron sold the rights to The Terminator for one dollar.

Accepted Answer

True. In 1984, Cameron sold the rights to producer Gale Anne Hurd for $1 to secure the film's production, a deal he later regretted.

Question 8

True or false: The stop-motion animation for The Terminator's endoskeleton was done by a single animator working from his apartment.

Accepted Answer

True. Peter Kuran animated the stop-motion endoskeleton in his Los Angeles apartment because the production's limited budget couldn't afford a professional effects studio.

The Terminator Trivia Questions