Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines Interview – Nick Stahl

BBC.co.uk
Interviewed by David Michael

Since being picked out by Mel Gibson over thousands of other boys for a role in “The Man Without a Face”, Nick Stahl has put together an impressive and diverse CV. His films include “The Thin Red Line”, “Bully”, and “In the Bedroom”. Now he takes over from Edward Furlong to play potential saviour John Connor in “T3″.

What was your impression of the first two movies?

I was a huge fan of the second movie; I saw it about six times as a kid. I was a bit young when the first one came out.

Did you audition for the role, as you were replacing Ed Furlong?

I did. It was actually quite extensive. I had maybe five or six lengthy sessions working the scenes, which was pretty exhausting.

Do you know when you’re doing it, who you’re up against?

I knew there was me and like two other guys.

Who were the other guys?

Er… Shane West and Jake Gyllenhaal.

What were your first impressions of doing the film and Arnold?

Initially I was pretty intimidated by the scale of the whole movie, but also him, and just being part of this larger than life world. I’ve never done anything a fraction the size of this scale. [Arnold] very much puts you at ease, because he’s very calm with his work. He’s a very hard worker but at the same time doesn’t seem to take it too seriously. It was such a long shoot, it was pretty imperative that we had some laughs to get us through it.

You’ve just taken up golf. Did you play with Arnold, because he’s a good golfer?

I can barely hit a ball, so I held off. He’s also a big chess player and he loves to play chess on set. He said we should play, because I play a bit, but I was a bit scared to play him. So I never did.

Did Arnold encourage you to get on the weights?

He had this 20ft gym trailer, and he said I could use it any time. He invited me in, but after one look at all this gym equipment, I declined and went outside for a cigarette.