After the success of "The Terminator", was it a dream come true to get a chance to play Sarah Connor again in "T2"?
You know what, it was. Actually, when Jim [Cameron, the director] called and said it was back, there was a second when I remember thinking, Oh no. Because I knew it had been festering inside of me for all those years, and I knew instinctively where I would have to go with this woman. I said, "This woman had been living with this certainty of man's demise for all these years and she'd have become this wild thing", so the warrior woman and crazy woman were all me. It was a wonderful opportunity to grow a character. The first time I played her, I was a young actress and really didn't know how to protect myself from the grief. It was a difficult defining role for me.
Your character went through an amazing arc in the sequel...
How lucky am I? I loved it. I turned down "T3" because I really did feel that it was so complete, that the character arc was completely there and could not be improved upon. And the script that I read proved that to me! But I'm retiring a champ.
After the films' success, did you consciously shy away from the Hollywood lifestyle?
I have no bitterness in my heart at all, but I find as I get older I'm just not attracted to much of that. I just get more and more real as every day goes by, so it's hard to participate in that myth of the movie star - that is a full-time job. The part of me that is truthful is what makes me a good actress, and the part of me that is truthful makes me a terrible movie star.
"Terminator 2: Judgment Day" is now out to buy on DVD.
