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Actor Robert Patrick has appeared in several popular films, but his most iconic performance came in 1991’s Terminator 2: Judgment Day, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. In the sequel, Patrick plays a highly advanced cyborg sent on a mission to the past to kill a child. Patrick convincingly plays the robotic aspects of the character, making his performance memorable.

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Robert Patrick co-starred in 1991’s Terminator 2: Judgment Day

However, Patrick had to undergo an unbelievable training process to prepare him for the gun-shooting scenes in the movie. Patrick trained relentlessly so that he would not blink during the shooting scenes, making him appear more robotic. Here is how Patrick trained for his gun-shooting scenes in Terminator 2: Judgment Day.

Robert Patrick Trained to Fire a Gun Without Blinking For Terminator 2 Role

Terminator 2: Judgment Day is a sequel to 1984’s The Terminator, featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger as T-800, an advanced cyborg from the future.

No one, including Warner Bros, was prepared for how successful “The Matrix” would be when it hit theaters on March 31, 1999. Only the second film by the Wachowski siblings (their first being the low-budget indie “Bound”), it would go on the be the fourth highest grossing film of the year, and a cultural phenomenon that became part of our lexicon.

The movie’s success would also mark a number of shifts happening in the industry. The diverse approach to casting by the Wachowskis, and their casting directors Mali Finn and Shauna Wolifson, took in building their ensemble helped redefine who could be an American action star, as Hollywood was desperate to move away from its already stale reliance on brawny white males, whose bulging muscles justified their physical prowess. The Wachowskis’ philosophy-inspired script helped usher in an era of narrative gravity and complexity in how studios approached the world-building storytelling of studio IP.

Edward Furlong is best known for his role of John Connor in James Cameron's 1991 film Terminator 2: Judgement Day. After that, he did a few other films but unfortunately, his career didn't end up going anywhere. The fact that he got messed up on drugs didn't help.

Turns out, James Cameron almost didn't cast him in the movie. In a clip from an upcoming documentary, T2: Reprogramming the Terminator, Cameron and Furlong talk about the casting process for the character. Cameron explains:

“Eddie was found by [T2 casting director] Mali Finn. He didn’t come in through an agency, he’d never been in anything, she literally just went out to find raw untried talent.”

Furlong also shares his story of how he was almost cut, but that Cameron gave him one more chance.

“I was in a place called the Pasadena Boys Club,” recalls Furlong. “She says, ‘Can I have...

Ryan Lambie Dec 4, 2017

Co-producer Stephanie Austin talks to us about the trials of bringing one of the biggest movies of all time, Terminator 2, to the screen...

In 1990, producer Stephanie Austin, previously known for her work in television, helped shepherd one of the biggest films of the decade to the big screen. Little did she know at the time, as she first looked through James Cameron's ambitious sequel script, that she would soon be producing the most expensive movie up to that point - a new high-watermark in special effects, and a proving ground for other CGI blockbusters.

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Over 25 years later, Terminator 2: Judgment Day still looks as shiny as ever - but the confidence and assured pace of its director's vision gives...

Ryan Lambie Aug 25, 2017

We talk to the actor behind one of cinema's great villains - Terminator 2's Robert Patrick...

It's more than 25 years since Terminator 2: Judgment Day first emerged, but actor Robert Patrick still carries the same cool, shark-like look of his shape-shifting villain, the T-1000. When Patrick fixes me with his sharp blue eyes, I can almost imagine his right arm quietly morphing into a sharp, chrome spear... and then he smiles, lets out a raucous laugh and the illusion is, thankfully, broken.

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In London to promote the 3D re-release of T2, and it's testament to how well-made James Cameron's sci-fi sequel is that it holds up so well all these years later. For his part, Robert Patrick doesn't appear to have tired being...

Robert Patrick was so perfect for the role of the liquid metal T-1000 villain in James Cameron's Terminator 2: Judgement Day. What's crazy is that he originally didn't have the part. According to Patrick, Cameron had originally cast another actor in the role. That actor was rock star, Billy Idol!

As you know, the classic movie is being re-released in theaters in 3D next week and when talking about the film with THR, Patrick revealed:

"Billy Idol was set to do the role of the T-1000, as I understand. I can tell you that I saw Billy's image when I went to Stan Winston after I got the role. Unfortunately, he got into a motorcycle accident and busted up his leg, so he wasn't able to physically do what the role demanded."

Damn, that's pretty crazy. It's really hard to imagine Idol in the role of the T-1000. I...

Today on Howard Stern, Olivia Wilde was in studio to promote her role on HBO's Vinyl and in the process provided lots of juicy tidbits, including the fact that at age 28 she was deemed "too old" for the role eventually played by Margot Robbie in Martin Scorsese's 2013 hit The Wolf of Wall Street (!). Also: why she wasn't "totally surprised" that Cowboys and Aliens flopped, what about her role on House makes her cringe, how Chris Farley brightened her day as a young girl and which of her former projects she hates the most. Check out 10 9 major highlights below. 1. She was deemed "too old" for the role of Jordan Belfort's wife in Martin Scorsese's The Wolf of Wall Street. Wilde, then 28, auditioned for the role of Naomi Lapaglia in Scorsese's Oscar-nominated film but was told she was too "sophisticated" for the character -- a note she eventually found out was code for "old.

Backstage University is thrilled to welcome back casting director Lauren Bass of Bass Casting for an on-camera audition intensive that promises to be helpful to any actor that needs help with their on-camera technique. Lauren Bass began her casting career with top L.A. casting office Ulrich/Dawson/ Kritzer and then worked with casting legend Mali Finn. Following Finn’s retirement, Lauren teamed with her brother Jordan to open Bass/Casting, a bi-coastal casting company. Together the brother-sister team have worked on film and television projects including “The Last Exorcism” for Lionsgate, Joel Schumacher's “Twelve,” the Starz series “Sparticus: Blood & Sand,” and the U.S. Casting for James Cameron's “Sanctum.” Bass also just cast the hit horror film “Annabelle,” in theaters now. In this class, Bass will be assigning you sides and coach you through a mock audition. Afterwards, Backstage University will upload your footage to your profile...

Think back to the comedies of the 1990's like Clueless, Reality Bites, Clerks, etc. They had edge. They had bite. They captured the spirit and the essence of the Gen X slacker mentality to the tee. This period of film has been looked upon by fans fondly. There have been films that have tried to capture the essence and the spirit of these films, but too often do these films come across as feeling forced and labored. Enter Washington D.C. based actor Daniel Ross of Ninjas vs. Vampires (starring: Jay Saunders, Cory Okouchi, Carla Okouchi, Devon Marie Burt, Melissa McConnell, P.J. Megaw, Elizabeth Taylor and Kurt Skarstedt and directed by Justine Timpane). This aspiring up and coming presence captures the mentality of the actors of that period and of those films through his performances with such ease and fluidity. Ninjas Vs. Vampires, his latest film, also serves as the perfect showcase for Daniel Ross,...

Lisa Soltau was living in Seattle when her friend Bonnie Gillespie sent her a book she had written called "Casting Qs," a compilation of interviews with casting directors. "I read it and I absolutely loved all the aspects of the job," says Soltau. "I loved the entertainment industry and movies and television. The process of casting sounded wonderful."She called one of the two casting offices in Seattle and ended up working as an intern there for about six months. But the CD told her she should move to New York or Los Angeles if she really wanted to pursue a career in casting. "I picked L.A. because I had lived there once for about three years and I thought it would be easier to acclimate there," Soltau says. "Plus I wanted to work on 'Six Feet Under,' which was airing at the time.

Playwright Tony Kushner, producer Marcy Carsey, and casting director Ellen Chenoweth will be honored by the Casting Society of America at this year's Artios Awards. The nominees for this year's awards—to be presented Nov. 1 in dual ceremonies at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles and the American Airlines Theatre in New York—were announced today. Kushner, Carsey, and Chenoweth will be presented with special awards. The complete list of nominees follows.Big budget feature, drama"Avatar," Margery Simkin and Mali Finn (initial casting)"Inglourious Basterds," Johanna Ray and Jenny Jue"Nine," Francine Maisler"Sherlock Holmes," Reg Poerscout-Edgerton"Shutter Island," Ellen Lewis and Carolyn Pickman (location casting)Big budget feature, comedy"Couples Retreat," Sarah Halley Finn and Randi Hiller"Date Night," Donna Isaacson"Julie and Julia," Francine Maisler"The Proposal," Amanda Mackey Johnson, Cathy Sandrich Gelfond, and Angela Peri (location casting)"Valentine's Day," Deborah Aquila and Tricia WoodFeature,...

When the producers from Strike and Eli Roth set out to find a director for The Last Exorcism , they found their champion in Daniel Stamm. The German director had only two credits to his name: The documentary A Necessary Death and the short film Off Hollywood & Vine . Shock Till You Drop met up with the director briefly in Los Angeles to talk about his Hollywood debut and his approach to the material. The strikingly tall Stamm was soft spoken but very excitable as he talked about the process of making Exorcism . Our conversation began the second I walked into the room, the interview below begins as I hit start on my recorder. Daniel Stamm: I did an internship with Mali Finn - who cast The Matrix movies and Elephant - and she always said don't cast people because...

Clifton Collins Jr. is currently waiting for the release of his movie "The Perfect Game" on April 16. In an exclusive interview with AceShowbiz, he has discussed his role as baseball coach in the sport drama, his possibility of returning to an untitled Star Trek sequel as well as his current project, TV series "Southland". Additionally, he also shared his future goal to direct film features.

Asb: "The Perfect Game" is based on an inspirational true story. Did you feel any burden playing in this kind of film?

Clifton: Yes, whenever I have a true to life character to portray, I generally do as much research as possible on him or her (you'd be surprised at what can be done with make up !) ;) Also, in this case I'd call it more of an honor than a burden, I hope Ceasar [his character] is happy with what I did!

Asb: In the movie, your...

For veteran casting director Margery Simkin ("Marley & Me," "Top Gun"), working on "Avatar"—James Cameron's "14 years in the dreaming, four years in the making" follow-up to his megahit "Titanic"—presented brand-new challenges, in particular the fact that the film comprised 60 percent motion-capture sequences and 40 percent live-action sequences. Simkin had to find people who could convincingly express emotion through a yet-to-be-created language, and she had to do so under a massive veil of secrecy.Not one actor was attached when she took over the film's casting in 2007, when the late, great Mali Finn stepped down due to illness. Simkin's greatest discovery on this film was a complete unknown, Sam Worthington, recommended by her Australian casting colleague Christine King."Forever people will think that we cast him because of 'Terminator: Salvation,' but it had nothing to do with it," says Simkin. "This was way before. When I saw his tape,...

"No Country for Old Men" and "Juno," two of the most honored films of 2007, made one more appearance on the awards circuit Monday night as they took home top prizes at the Casting Society of America's 24th Artios Awards.

Recognizing outstanding achievement in casting, the awards, hosted by Neil Patrick Harris at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel in Century City, singled out Oscar winner "No Country" in the studio feature-drama category, with the trophy going to Ellen Chenoweth and Jo Edna Boldin (location casting). In the studio feature-comedy category, the winners were Mindy Marin, Coreen Mayres (location) and Heike Brandstatter (location) for "Juno."

The group gave its Career Achievement Award to producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron. Thomas Schumacher received the New York Apple Award at a simultaneous event in New York hosted by Julie Halston, and the Hoyt Bowers Award was presented to the late Mali Finn.

Donna Morong...

James Cameron is moving forward on his next helming project, the sci-fi thriller Battle Angel for 20th Century Fox. The film marks the director's long-anticipated follow-up to Titanic, which Fox co-financed with Paramount Pictures. Fox declined comment and would not confirm that the project has been greenlighted, but Mali Finn Casting has placed an open casting call online for the lead actress in the new Cameron film. The ad calls for female applicants age 16 to mid-20s who are athletic and agile with graceful movement and have an ear for languages and dialects. Submissions are due Dec. 19, the firm said.

Originally scheduled for release at Christmas (and in time to qualify for the 1999 Razzie Awards) -- but delayed for two months with no serious public relations damage -- "Reindeer Games" should make a quick killing in theaters.

But it will have trouble generating sustained interest or raking in blockbuster grosses worldwide. Critics will be mixed, while the audiences will be dominated by and mostly limited to young males and date-nighters.

The Dimension Films release, directed curtly and with no special flair by veteran John Frankenheimer, is an expensive gamble that, despite its glaring deficiencies, should pay off handsomely for the Miramax division, while stars Ben Affleck and Charlize Theron come through relatively unscathed.

Another in a long line of soulless, bloody actioners about tainted good guys facing off with vicious villains, "Reindeer" is inherently more suspenseful than action-packed, but the games it plays are tedious and there are more unintentional laughs than is healthy for any movie. Not quite a cinematic wipeout like "Island of Dr. Moreau", Frankenheimer's howlingly bad horror film of four years ago, "Reindeer" prances around credibility issues and tries to out-twist the pack, but it gets lost in a blizzard of cliches and uneven performances.

Scripted by Ehren Kruger -- whose "Arlington Road" was far scarier as it tried to expand the genre with a reality-influenced storyline -- "Reindeer" opens with a brief preview of the violent conclusion involving a lot of dead people in Santa outfits. We're then introduced to prison inmate Rudy (Affleck), who in voice-over starts to tell his story that has an interesting hook. Rudy's cellmate Nick (James Frain) has been corresponding with a woman he's never met, Ashley (Theron). We know she's young and pretty; she's never seen a picture of him.

In quick succession: Rudy falls for Ashley on the eve of his and Nick's release; Nick is fatally knifed in a prison fight; Rudy goes free and makes a fateful decision when he first sets eyes on Ashley. Motivated by presumably humanitarian and selfish reasons, Rudy pretends to be the dead Nick, with Ashley cheerfully unaware of what transpired in the joint. They have sex vigorously and start getting to know each other.

The good times are fleeting. Ashley's brother Gabriel (Gary Sinise) enters with a veritable thunderclap, and the primary plot is set in motion. He has read Nick's letters to Ashley and wants Rudy as Nick to help rob a casino. A benign, working-class criminal who just wants to go home, Rudy tries but fails to convince the group he's not the right guy.

A gun-running trucker with a short temper, Gabriel and his goons (Clarence Williams III, Donal Logue and Danny Trejo) kidnap Rudy and Ashley and head out in a well-equipped big rig. After stalling his captors when it's made clear that Gabriel will dispose of him if he learns the truth, Rudy goes with the flow but looks for a way out.

Rudy's stuck in a trap all right, one that Affleck the actor has passing success at exploiting for one's entertainment. In a sequence that typifies the film's attraction as well as its disappointing blandness, Rudy escapes from his captors, sneaks around looking for a weapon and then hurries back before being caught. A better moment occurs when both Rudy and Ashley dash across a frozen lake and then fall in and get stuck under the ice in a well-executed thrill.

Early on, Sinise brings a welcome intensity to his character, but there are a few too many scenes where Gabriel seems on the verge of killing Rudy and then pulls back for one reason or another. When the improbable casino robbery goes down, Rudy has already learned something not nice about his girl, but there's more to come. With much death and destruction in the final reel, "Reindeer" goes about its appointed tasks with a not-so-jolly disregard for good storytelling and imaginative filmmaking.

REINDEER GAMES

Dimension Films

A Marty Katz production

Credits: Director: John Frankenheimer; Screenwriter: Ehren Kruger; Producers:

Marty Katz, Bob Weinstein, Chris Moore; Executive producers: Harvey Weinstein, Cary Granat, Andrew Rona; Director of photography: Alan Caso; Production designer: Barbara Dunphy; Editors: Tony Gibbs, Michael Kahn; Costume designer: May Routh; Music: Alan Silvestri; Casting: Mali Finn. Cast: Rudy: Ben Affleck; Ashley: Charlize Theron; Gabriel: Gary Sinise; Merlin: Clarence Williams III; Jack Bangs: Dennis Farina; Nick: James Frain; Pug: Donal Logue; Jumpy: Danny Trejo; Zook: Isaac Hayes. MPAA Rating: R. Color/stereo. Running time -- 104 minutes.

Writer-director Rick Famuyiwa makes a promising feature debut with "The Wood", a warm rite-of-passage comedy.

Nurtured at the Sundance Institute's screenwriters and directors lab, the ensemble piece is something of a hip-hop "Stand by Me" peppered with a little "Wedding Singer" 1980s nostalgia and "American Pie" raunch.

While the picture's shaping and pacing would have benefited from a more seasoned hand, Famuyiwa's richly written, exceptionally well-cast characters strike a pleasant chord.

"The Wood" should do well by its targeted young urban audience, although any significant crossover seems unlikely.

Set in Inglewood, Calif., (the "Wood" in question), the story concerns a trio of best friends from childhood who are experiencing some delayed emotional growing pains.

Just hours before his wedding, Roland (Taye Diggs) has gone AWOL with a bad case of prenuptial jitters, sending buddies Mike (Omar Epps) and Slim (Richard T. Jones) on his trail.

They track him down having a panic attack at the home of an old high school sweetheart (Tamala Jones), and while doing their best to get him sobered up, they begin to reminisce about their carefree lives back in the day when jheri curls, K-Swiss tennis shoes and Guess USA jackets reigned supreme.

Past shares screen time with the present as Young Roland (Trent Cameron), Young Mike (Sean Nelson) and Young Slim (Duane Finley) do impressive renderings of their hormonally driven, teenaged selves.

In fact, all the film's characters are credibly conveyed by the talented cast. In addition to Diggs, Epps and Jones and their younger counterparts, Malinda Williams does effective work as Alicia, the fine but fiery object of Mike's guarded affections, while De'Aundre Bonds is comically on the money as her delinquent big brother.

Writer-director Famuyiwa certainly has a lot of room to grow, as evidenced by the constant shifts back and forth in time, signaled by a close-up of a needle landing on a spinning record, don't always flow smoothly and can get a little old after a while. But he adeptly captures the camaraderie and has a gentle, unforced way with humor.

Production values are strong, particularly Steven Bernstein's ("The Waterboy") energetic camera work and some frighteningly familiar '80s touches from production designers Roger Fortune and Maxine Shepard, not to mention some of costume designer Darryle Johnson's cringe-inducing "period" finds.

Also making his feature debut here is jazz bassist Robert Hurst, who delivers a mellow, unobtrusive score that blends in well with those vintage Luther and Levert slow jams.

THE WOOD

Paramount

An MTV Films production

in association with Bona Fide Prods.

Director-screenwriter: Rick Famuyiwa

Story: Rick Famuyiwa and Todd Boyd

Producers: Albert Berger, Ron Yerxa, David Gale

Executive producer: Van Toffler

Director of photography: Steven Bernstein

Production designers: Roger Fortune and Maxine Shepard

Editor: John Carter

Costume designer: Darryle Johnson

Music supervisor: Pilar McCurry

Music: Robert Hurst

Casting: Mali Finn and Emily Schweber

Color/stereo

Cast:

Mike: Omar Epps

Roland: Taye Diggs

Slim: Richard T. Jones

Young Mike: Sean Nelson

Young Roland: Trent Cameron

Young Slim: Duane Finley

Young Alicia: Malinda Williams

Stacey: De'Aundre Bonds

Tanya: Tamala Jones

Running time -- 106 minutes

MPAA rating: R...