Arnold Schwarzenegger knows exactly which “Terminator” movie he thinks is the franchise’s worst, and for one simple reason: He was not in it.
During a Monday night appearance on Bravo’s “Watch What Happens Live!,” Schwarzenegger was asked by one of the show’s viewers which of the six “Terminator” movies that have been released up to this point is the worst.
“I would say the worst was probably the no. 4 [2009’s ‘Terminator Salvation’] because that was done during the time I was [California] Governor and I was not in it,” Schwarzenegger replied.
“How do you do a ‘Terminator’ movie without me being in the ‘Terminator’ movie?” he added. “It doesn’t make any sense.”
You can watch part of Schwarzenegger’s “Watch What Happens Live!” appearance yourself in the video below.
Directed by “Charlie’s Angels” filmmaker McG, “Terminator Salvation” starred Christian Bale as John Connor, the son of Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton). It follows its post-apocalyptic hero as he leads humanity’s war against Skynet and discovers the full extent of the AI robots’ plan to annihilate mankind.
“Terminator Salvation” grossed over $371 million at the worldwide box office but it received largely negative reviews. While Schwarzenegger did not act in the film, his digital likeness is briefly featured in it. On Rotten Tomatoes, it currently holds the franchise’s second-lowest critics’ score, ahead of only 2015’s “Terminator Genisys,” which featured Schwarzenegger’s return to the franchise.
“Watch What Happens Live!” host Andy Cohen asked Schwarzenegger if he called the team responsible for “Salvation” to complain or inquire at the time about his absence from the film. “I called immediately,” Schwarzenegger joked. “I said, ‘I’m going to pass a law [forbidding studios] to do movies that suck!’”
In the same conversation, Schwarzenegger was asked what his tagline would be if he were ever to become a regular cast member on the “Real Housewives” TV franchise. The 77-year-old actor and former politician and bodybuilder used the question as an opportunity to make a fitting “Terminator” pun.
“You know, four decades ago in ‘Terminator,’ I said, ‘I’ll be back,’” Schwarzenegger responded. “[For] this one, I would just say, ‘Ow, my back.’”
