Linda Hamilton is in a late-career renaissance right now thanks to Syfy‘s “Resident Alien” and an upcoming role in the fifth and final season of “Stranger Things.” But will she ever return to her most famous role, that of Sarah Connor in the “Terminator” franchise? Sorry, “Terminator” fans: in a new interview with THR, Hamilton all but confirmed her turn as Connor in 2019’s “Terminator: Dark Fate” will be her last.
When asked what’s more likely, her playing Sarah Connor again or AI writing the next “Terminator” film, Hamilton flatly answered, “AI writing the next “Terminator” movie. And they kill me off before we start. That’s the best scenario.” “”Dark Fate” was is, then? You’re done,” responded the interviewer, to which the actress responded, “Shoot me. Shoot me! I’m very glad I did it, but…”
Hamilton reprised her iconic role as Connors in 2019 for the first time since James Cameron‘s 1991 sequel, “T2: Judgment Day.” Unfortunately, “Terminator” fans weren’t wild about Tim Miller‘s latest entry in the franchise, which served as a retcon reimagining after 2015’s similarly derided “Terminator Genisys.” Not even Cameron on board as an executive producer for “Dark Fate” could salvage the sequel, despite Hamilton’s return and memorable heroine turns by Mackenzie Davis and Natalia Reyes.
But despite the film’s poor showing, Hamilton doesn’t regret returning to the franchise. “I don’t do a lot of regret. I think in the end, it holds true that we regret what we didn’t do, not what we did. I’m very glad I went back,” the actress said about “Dark Fate. “I loved [Tim Miller], I love my ladies [Davis and Reyes], and while I can’t say I love the film, that’s because I was so attached to it. I only saw it once. I felt like it was too fast. But we did so much good work, and it was the greatest time of my life, and the worst time of my life, all rolled into one film.”
But what made “Dark Fate” such an extreme experience for Hamilton? “I was 63 or whatever I was, and it was the hardest shoot,” explained the actress. “Every day it was like a triathlon: ‘Now we’re going to swim for two hours and then we’re going to run for two hours.’ I read 40 books on that show. That’s all I could do, lie down and read, send my mind somewhere else and rest my body.” But despite a bittersweet return as Sarah Connor, Hamilton remains grateful for the “Terminator” franchise and its fans. That fan base is fantastic,” she continued, “because they actually treat me like I saved the world.”
And Hamilton may save the world again, albeit in another pop cultural entity: the world of “Stranger Things.” Hamilton’s role in the upcoming final season remains under wraps, but the actress changed her retirement plans to star in Season 5. Or rather, her agent made sure she didn’t turn down the part offered to her. “When I said retirement, cut to two weeks or so later, “Stranger Things” called him and said, ‘Is Linda Hamilton available from June to June?’ And he went, ‘Yes.’ He didn’t even ask me,” she recalled. Hamilton said that the role is “going to give me another 15 minutes with a new audience, which is cool,” but she played coy about who she plays in the upcoming season. No worries there: expect Hamilton’s character will be revealed as “Stranger Things” S5 inches closer to its 2025 premiere.
But as for Sarah Connor, sorry “Terminator” fans, but it sounds like Hamilton’s future with the franchise is as good as dead.
