The T-1000 itself was not originally American-made, according to Patrick, who claims that he only got the part after director James Cameron was unable to cast British singer Billy Idol. Once Patrick eventually landed the villainous role, he put a lot of effort into it, training four times a day. He may have even trained too hard, something that Cameron noticed while filming Terminator 2’s iconic mall chase scene.
“The first big chase sequence we did at the mall before I take the semi, I caught John!” Patrick told THR. “And I was like, ‘What the fuck do I do now?’ And Jim was like, ‘Jesus Christ! How fast can you run?!’ And I said I didn’t know. So they had to crank up the speed of John’s dirt bike.”
Patrick also worked tirelessly in weapons training after Cameron told him he had to be proficient. The actor took it one step further, of course, making sure he could do it all without blinking.
Though the bike may still bug him, Patrick certainly gave the character his all. Next time you’re watching Terminator 2 and hear him utter the memorable line of “say, that’s a nice bike” about that Kawasaki, remember that he was acting on multiple levels.
