The 26th anniversary for
Terminator 2: Judgment Day is being celebrated a number of different ways. The film will be re-released in theaters in 3D, and is getting an amazing collector's edition later this fall.
Joe Morton, who plays Skynet developer and ultimately destroyer, Miles Dyson, recently spoke with CBM about the now iconic sequel. In the discussion we cover a number of different topics including watching the film after all this time, the 26th anniversary and what people say to him on the street about his role.
Morton also chatted with us about Justice League, (
more on that here), as well as his one man play about the legendary Dick Gregory.
What’s it like being a part of something as long lasting a Terminator 2: Judgment Day with the 26th anniversary coming up?
It’s amazing. It’s awesome to a part of something that has lasted this long. Although, I don’t quite feel like it has disappeared. Almost on a daily basis someone comes up to me and says, ‘hey aren’t you the guy from T2?’ I’ve realized over the many years that it’s one of those movies that people just watch over and over. On one level I suppose it’s great to see its 26th anniversary party, if you will.
When people come up to you on the street, do they ever blame you for creating Skynet?
Well, usually people don’t blame me for creating Skynet, usually people think the character is someone actually saved the world by blowing up Skynet. So I think most people look at the character as the savior of the world. He put the world in jeopardy, but he also saved it.
I know it’s been over 25 years, but what do you recall most filming your scenes?
Gosh, there’s so many things. I think one, is just being a part of something that big. I had come from the world of much smaller, in terms of the kinds of films. Brother From Another Planet was 360 thousand dollars (to make), so I think that was probably the cost to get Arnold’s (Schwarzenegger) chauffeur. So that to me, was impressive. At one point James (Cameron) blew out some glass, because he wanted to see what It looked like. And then just working with Arnold and Linda (Hamilton). I mean Linda I had known from television for a very long time, and that was exciting. And of course Arnold was a huge star then. So those things were very exciting.
I know some actors do not like to watch their own films. What’s it like for you if you’re flipping through the channels and you see it on TV?
I think it was on just the other night. I think what’s astounding about the movie is it still seems to hold up visually, even story wise. There’s nothing that seems to be, oh this is an old CG movie. The whole thing holds together, and is pretty amazing.
I want to talk about your death scene, because to me it’s one of the best acted death scenes in a film. What was in your head as you were preparing for the scene and how did it all come about?
James allowed me to do the stunt myself, which was really exciting in its self. And then, we talked about different ways of having him die, and nothing seemed to work. And then I told James about an accident I had been in a couple of years before hand. I was in a car accident, and my lung collapsed. So I assumed that since this guy got shot in the chest he would be going through the same process. So I showed James sort of what my breathing turned into while my lung was collapsing, and that got us excited, and we shot it.
So transitioning into some stuff you’re working on now, what parallels do you see in Miles Dyson and Silas Stone?
Yeah, it’s almost like I’m being type casted as a scientist that has to create something that’s not quite human (laughs).
Wrapping up here, is there any future project that’s you’re working on that you would like people to know about?
Yeah, here in LA, at the Wallis Annenberg Center, I’m doing what is essentially a one man play about Dick Gregory. Gregory is a very famous comedian, he’s 84 years old. A very famous black comedian and activist who worked with the like of Martian Luther King Jr.. This is a play about his life, and the things that he did. What’s interesting about the play, is that a lot of the things he fought against 40 or 50 years ago, are things we are still fighting for or against today, like racism, like men vs women, like food and climate change. So all of these things are in this play, and he was talking about these things decades ago.
It sounds like it’s a passion project for you. What’s it like to be able to do the big blockbusters like Terminator 2: Judgment Day and Justice League, and also do this small one man show? It sounds like it is something a little more intimate, and a little more personal.
It’s wonderful! What that means, on a career level anyway, that I have the opportunity to do that, and that I can afford to do that. And then from my soul, my heart and my politics it gives me an opportunity to talk about the things that have meaning to me within the context of art. The name of the play is called Turn Me Loose. It’s called Turn Me Loose because Dick Gregory and Medgar Evers was the best of friends, and Medgar’s last words before he was assassinated was, “Turn me loose.”
Terminator 2: Judgment Day 3D will hit theaters on August 25, 2017, and the collectors edition 4K blu-ray will be released on October 3, 2017.
*Images via Tri-Star Pictures and Benjo Awards