Terminator 2 Star Robert Patrick Reveals the Twist of Fate That Made Him the T-1000

Billy Idol as the T-1000.

It sounds like one of those strange alternate-universe movie castings, but Idol was seriously considered for the role eventually played by Robert Patrick.

Patrick revisited the story in a new interview with People, explaining that Idol was intended for the role before circumstances changed.

The musician was involved in a serious motorcycle accident in 1990 that badly injured his leg.

Because the T-1000 required an intensely physical performance, Idol could no longer take on the role.

Suddenly, the door was open for somebody else.

And through it walked Robert Patrick.

Patrick wasn't an established Hollywood star when the opportunity to audition for Terminator 2 arrived.

That actually worked in his favour.

James Cameron wanted the T-1000 to contrast sharply with Arnold Schwarzenegger's enormous T-800, and Patrick's leaner appearance helped create that contrast.

Patrick has described getting the opportunity as a life-changing moment.

He immersed himself in the audition process and ultimately secured a character that would become inseparable from his career.

The result was inspired casting.

Patrick barely needed dialogue to make the T-1000 terrifying.

The expressionless stare, controlled movements and relentless running created a villain that felt less like a man chasing John Connor and more like a machine that simply would not stop.

When Terminator 2 arrived in 1991, audiences had never seen anything quite like the T-1000.

Made from mimetic polyalloy — or liquid metal for those of us without a Cyberdyne Systems manual lying around — the new Terminator could change its appearance, imitate people and recover from damage that would destroy almost anything else.

Industrial Light & Magic's groundbreaking visual effects helped sell the illusion.

But the technology only worked because Patrick made the character believable whenever the effects weren't doing the talking.

His controlled physical performance gave the T-1000 an unnerving quality that CGI alone couldn't have created.

More than three decades later, the sight of Patrick sprinting after John Connor remains one of the defining images of the Terminator franchise.

Patrick's latest comments arrive at the perfect time.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day is returning to cinemas to celebrate its 35th anniversary, giving audiences another chance to experience James Cameron's sequel on the big screen.

The US anniversary run begins on August 28 and continues through September 2, with international screenings around the same time.

The re-release includes premium presentations such as 4K and RealD 3D at participating cinemas.

For anyone whose experience of Terminator 2 has been VHS, DVD, Blu-ray or streaming, Patrick has encouraged audiences to see the movie theatrically.

We can't exactly disagree with him.

Some movies were simply built for a cinema screen, and Terminator 2 is very high on that list.

Hollywood history is full of famous roles that nearly went to somebody else.

But Billy Idol's T-1000 remains one of the more fascinating examples.

Perhaps Idol would have created a memorable villain of his own.

We'll never know.

What we do know is that a motorcycle accident created an unexpected opportunity for a relatively unknown actor named Robert Patrick.

Patrick took it and delivered one of the most recognisable villain performances of the 1990s.

Thirty-five years later, we're still talking about it.

Sometimes movie history really does come down to a twist of fate.