“Terminator 2” Star Robert Patrick Says Billy Idol Originally Had His Role. Then a Twist of Fate Changed Everything (Exclusive)
“Terminator 2” Star Robert Patrick Says Billy Idol Originally Had His Role. Then a Twist of Fate Changed Everything (Exclusive)
Tereza ShkurtajFri, August 28, 2026 at 4:00 PM UTC
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Robert Patrick in 2019; Robert Patrick in ‘Terminator 2’Credit: Randy Shropshire/Getty; CBS via Getty -
Robert Patrick almost didn’t play the T-1000, as the role was originally intended for Billy Idol before a motorcycle injury left him unable to run
That twist of fate led Patrick to Terminator 2, where his audition and instincts helped land him the career-defining role
The now 67-year-old actor tells PEOPLE he can’t wait for fans to watch the film in theaters for its 35th anniversary re-release, presented by Fathom Entertainment, Rialto Pictures and STUDIOCANAL
Robert Patrick’s turn as one of the most memorable villains in Terminator 2: Judgment Day almost never happened.
Patrick tells PEOPLE that the role of the T-1000 was initially intended for rock star Billy Idol, but a motorcycle accident in 1990 left Idol with a leg injury that meant he couldn’t do the running the production required.
That unexpected change opened the door for Patrick, then a relatively unknown actor, to audition for what would become a career-defining role. Looking back 35 years later, the 67-year-old still views it as a remarkable stroke of luck.
“It was just a thrill of a lifetime,” Patrick tells PEOPLE exclusively about the opportunity. “I couldn’t believe it. I still can’t believe it, to be honest with you, even though I did it. I don’t know how everything lined up.”
Robert Patrick in ‘Terminator 2.’Credit: CBS via Getty
Idol’s unfortunate injury was only one piece of an unlikely chain of events that eventually put Patrick in front of T2 director James Cameron.
At the time, Cameron was looking for an unknown actor who could bring something fresh to the T-1000, the shape-shifting assassin sent back in time to kill John Connor, played by then-13-year-old Ed Furlong.
“Once the Billy Idol thing wasn’t gonna work out, [Cameron] decided to look for an unknown,” Patrick explains. “And that would benefit the role and the actor playing the role, because no one had a preconceived notion of this unknown actor, so they would accept me as the T-1000.”
Unlike Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Terminator from the original film, Patrick’s character was designed to be an entirely different kind of threat — one that could blend in, move quickly and seemingly become anyone.
Robert Patrick and Arnold Schwarzenegger in ‘Terminator 2.’Credit: Alamy
For Patrick, however, the audition process itself was something of a leap into the unknown, as he initially had little idea what the production was looking for.
“The auditions that I was doing for the role, the sort of free-form ad-lib, impromptu auditions — my instincts were correct,” he recalls. “And the next thing you know, I was just… on autopilot. I was in sync with what they were looking for. I don’t know how I found it during the auditions, but I went with it.”
Patrick tells PEOPLE he knew, almost immediately, that the project was different from anything he had encountered before. Even before he knew exactly what the role entailed, the opportunity was clear.
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“As soon as I got the audition for it, I knew it was going to be something spectacular, something special,” he admits.
Robert Patrick as T-1000.Credit: Courtesy of Fathom Entertainment
Then came the moment that changed everything. After auditioning for days, Patrick was finally allowed to read Cameron’s script — and suddenly understood exactly what he had been auditioning for.
“Finally, James Cameron let me read the script, and I went, ‘Oh my god, I’m the new Terminator,’” he recalls. “How did I get this opportunity? I just couldn’t believe it. It blew my mind.”
The timing, the audition and Idol’s injury all combined to give Patrick a chance he still struggles to explain.
“So all those things were working in my favor. You know, God just took care of the rest, man. He provided me the opportunity and gave me the confidence during the audition process to win the role,” Patrick says. “And, you know, here we are 35 years later, and I’m still… how did I do that, you know? How did that happen?”
‘Terminator 2: Judgment Day’ cast.Credit: Vinnie Zuffante/Getty
Now, audiences have a chance to experience the 1991 film again exactly where Patrick believes it belongs: in a movie theater.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day is returning to U.S. theaters Aug. 28 through Sept. 2 for its 35th anniversary, including “Judgment Day” itself on Aug. 29.
The re-release presented by Fathom Entertainment, Rialto Pictures and STUDIOCANAL will be presented in 4K and RealD 3D, with 4DX and DBOX premium formats also available, and tickets are currently on sale here.
For longtime fans, it is a chance to revisit a classic on a much bigger canvas. For newcomers, Patrick believes the experience can make the film feel entirely new — and perhaps even more relevant in an era defined by artificial intelligence.
And for anyone who has only experienced T2 at home, Patrick has a simple reason to make the trip to the theater.
“The thing that’s gonna be exciting for this is, and I meet the fans at all the Comic Cons that I do, and, you know, so many of them have only seen it on TV; they’ve only seen it on an iPad or a computer,” Patrick tells PEOPLE. “And I say to them, when you go see this movie in all its glory, 35 times as big, it will blow you away. I don’t care if you’ve seen it on your big-screen TV; you’ve never seen anything like it in a movie theater. It’s amazing.”
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
