O.J. Simpson had a burgeoning career in Hollywood before it was derailed.
Now that he has passed, one of the mysteries surrounding him is finally being revealed.
And this Hollywood producer finally spilled the beans on this decades-old rumor about O.J. Simpson.
O.J. Simpson tried his hand at acting
Credibly-accused murderer O.J. Simpson began acting while still at the University of Southern California and continued his Hollywood career throughout his time in the NFL and many years after, securing roles like that of Detective Nordberg in the Naked Gun franchise.
And like with most things involving Simpson, there have been plenty of rumors over the years about his time in Hollywood.
One such rumor was that he was in the running to star in the 1984 sci-fi classic The Terminator, as Arnold Schwarzenegger – who ultimately secured the role, which became the signature role of his career and spawned the legendary franchise – has claimed for years that it was Simpson who was originally tapped for the role.
As Schwarzenegger has told it, legendary director James Cameron seriously considered casting the seven-time Mr. Olympia as Kyle Reese, the human sent back in time to battle the T-800 in the film, while giving Simpson the lead role.
He even went so far as to claim that he had received a picture from Cameron with Simpson portrayed as The Terminator.
Simpson was never known for his acting chops, but the role required limited dialogue, so the claim seemed believable to many people.
“It was actually OJ Simpson that was the first cast Terminator,” Schwarzenegger told The Independent in 2019. “Then somehow [James Cameron] felt that he was not as believable for a killing machine. So then they hired me. That’s really what happened.”
Terminator producer comments on O.J. Simpson rumor
The Terminator Producer Gale Anne Hurd weighed in on the rumor about Simpson playing the title role after his death on social media.
“I realize that Arnold claims that O.J. Simpson was cast as The Terminator before we cast him. That is 100% NOT TRUE. And I should know,” Hurd wrote on X. “Jim and I never ever considered O.J. Not even for a nanosecond.”
She did confirm that veteran sci-fi actor Lance Henriksen, who played an LAPD detective in the film, was considered for the part, though.
Cameron weighed in on the Simpson rumor last year during an interview on Max’s Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace.
“Very early on, a highly placed person at one of the two studios that funded that film had a brilliant idea and called me up and said, ‘Are you sitting down?’ I said, ‘Well, no, I’m not.’ He said, ‘Are you sitting? O.J. Simpson for the Terminator!’ I said, ‘I actually think that’s a bad idea.’ It didn’t go anywhere,” Cameron said.
The real mystery is why Schwarzenegger is so convinced that Simpson was set to get the part.
Have the film’s director and producer simply distanced themselves from O.J. Simpson because most are convinced he’s a murderer?
That casting decision changed the acting careers of both men.
