Linda Hamilton Got Jacked For "Terminator 2" | Letterman

Fan Friday Request:
"Hello,
Love the channel! Do you have the Linda Hamilton interview promoting Terminator 2 Judgement Day from June 26, 1991? I've been looking for it for a while.
Thank You!
Bill C.
Wilmington, DE"
(From "Late Night," air date: 6/26/91)
If you have a clip you’d like to see, email us at [e-mail]
#lindahamilton #terminator #letterman
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Welcome to the Letterman KZbin Channel, home to all your favorite clips from Late Night and Late Show - as well as conversations with the writers, producers and performers who helped make it all happen. The language may strike you as quaint & flowery, the clothing comically lacey & ornate - but that’s how things were back in this colorful and now bygone era.

[@keefriff99]

Linda Hamilton was incredible in T2, equally tough and vulnerable. A stone-cold sci-fi classic from the master, James Cameron.

[@MajSolo]

yes she was like a commander. thinking about the strategy and the goals. the shooting and everything was just practical things she had to do.

[@Mikebuster]

I noticed the other day how small James Cameron's filmography is. reminds me of Kubrick's equally small filmography. attestment to quality though, though I'm concerned he's wasting too much time on Avatar these days.

[@sixstanger00]

Cameron was terrific back then, but ever since Avatar his work hasn't been overly impressive. Avatar 2 was nothing more than a 2 1/2 hr CGI FX show, with roughly the same plot as the first one. Of course, the media went on a full blitz doing cover for it, constantly bragging about how it topped $2b at the box office worldwide...at a time of the year when it had nothing to go up against. Nothing about how incredible the plot/story was; only that it made a truck load of money. So did Star Trek 2009. Doesn't make it a match for _The Wrath of Kahn_ or _The Undiscovered Country._

[@Karl-me4mh]

That's the stretch they barely do in Characters these days. 'tough but vulnerable' That's exactly what makes her(Sarah Connor) so relatable. She's tough, badass, but still a human being and far from perfect.

[@MajSolo]

@@sixstanger00 agree I downloaded the movie from that place and could only watch 15 minutes of it , omg the humans are returning , omg everything is on fire , we have to flee, omg ....

[@dameinoferrall2400]

As a bellman, I had the pleasure of checking in Linda Hamilton at the W hotel on three occasions, and at two different locations on both coasts over the course of several years. She always remembered me which shocked me deeply. What a genuinely sincere and down to earth human being. Very classy and lovely woman.

[@southlondon86]

During or after filming on T2, sir?

[@Allenmarshall]

Lucky guy! She's breathtaking.

[@charliep5139]

@@Allenmarshall James Cameron thought so too... ;-)

[@Allenmarshall]

@@charliep5139 so jelly im jammed

[@DrMcMoist]

A human being remembered you? No. Sorry, but no. I don't want to call you a liar but you really haven't given me any choice!

[@TodaysDante]

She's so sweet and soft spoken, you can't help but like her.

[@panagiotisgalinos1335]

Hamilton and Sigourney Weaver are the most badass female action movie actresses ever.

[@DystrophicEvolution]

Nice picks indeed. I'd have to add in Jenette Goldstein as Pvt. Vasquez in 'Aliens' along with the short scene as a liquid Terminator stepmom.

[@Brendissimo1]

Honestly the fact that she got so muscular and cut for the role really made a big difference. It's such a stark contrast from her more natural look in the first one. It's very believable that this woman has been just soaking up everything she can from special forces guys for years since the first movie and trying to be as ready as possible for the future.

[@starwarsroo2448]

As awesome as she played that role, she had help with steroids

[@DavidSmith-fs5qj]

@@starwarsroo2448 Did she really, and how do you know?

[@starwarsroo2448]

@@DavidSmith-fs5qj I saw who her co star was. Seriously though she said when she made Dark Fate they get you on test straight away like this is standard practice. Women generally don't look like that, ev3n really fit one's, her bf was extremely low in that movie

[@DavidSmith-fs5qj]

@@starwarsroo2448 Maybe she was, don't know, but i take issue with your comment about women not looking like that. Of course women don't look like that without training and nutrition, i used to tarin in a gym which i would describe as a hardcore bodybuilding gym and a lady competed in several bodybuilding competitions and she was in fantastic shape, all natural, she got her nutrition absolutely spot on and she did it all by herself, she didn't have access to the best personal trainers and special forces guys and all this while working full time.

[@starwarsroo2448]

@@DavidSmith-fs5qj but if she actually said herself " soon as I got on set of dark fate they were like let's get her on a stack" one ca only assume this is standard practice in Hollywood, which if you didn't know that anyway then I can't really say anything

[@Kryptic1046]

Man T2 is so legendary. It is almost impossible to separate Linda from Sarah Connor when I see her. She put everything into that character and now they are forever intertwined.

[@Vercingetorix504]

Watching pt 2 after pt 1 currently for like the 100th time 😂.

[@DanielleA2023]

Today she would be Oscar nominated for her stunning performance

[@ThouArtOfWar0724]

Idk about all that

[@BadFluffy]

I don't think so because action movies and SFX movies are pretty much ignored by the Oscars nowadays but she certainly deserved one back then and should have been nominated. Sigourney scored a (well deserved) nomination for Aliens. Linda was snubbed.

[@rushchax]

She's everything I've ever dreamed of. That confidence is oozing.

[@katycheckley]

lol, shes so nervous though :)

[@knives5964]

​@@katycheckley yeah i think Linda had social anxiety you can see it.

[@idontwantcorporateretaliat6301]

are we watching the same interview?

[@johnm1414]

@@knives5964 I read that Linda H. is bipolar, that could have something to do with her behavior.

[@unknownuser0006]

I love these old clips. Great to see how films were treated before huge success, not sure if people even expected T2 to be this big.

[@keefriff99]

It had a ton of hype ahead of its release. It was the most expensive production in history up to that point, and Arnold was never more popular. I saw it at a drive-in with my Dad when I was 12, and it stuck with me ever since.

[@HockeyNationHD]

T2 was expected to be what it was. it was like Batman 89, where they planned for it and everyone saw it coming. the original 84 Terminator was the surprise.

[@jedijones]

@@HockeyNationHD T2 had hype because Arnold's career was on a hot streak, but nobody expected it to be the top movie of the year. Total Recall was 7th the year before, so that's about what was expected from T2. Also remember, Cameron was not box office gold yet, and had only done one middling performer The Abyss in the last 5 years since Aliens.

[@HockeyNationHD]

@@jedijones it was absolutely expected to be a monster hit. Total Recall had no relevance to T2's expectations any more than Beetlejuice created expectation levels for Batman.

[@quantumrobin4627]

I remember it was hyped in my household, lol, dad was a huge Arnold fan, I was 12 when T2 dropped.

[@DoubleDeckerAnton]

Sad to hear Linda's sister passed away this last year. It would have been great to interview the sisters together.

[@kconway8672]

August of 2020 actually, very sad

[@r_a_]

💔

[@Filthy_Larry]

She worked as a nurse just 5 miles away from my late grandmother.

[@crashfan9997]

RIP to her. She played Linda's stunt double I believe.

[@talaniel]

@@crashfan9997 I think it was in the scene where Sarah "operates" on Terminator: the scene looked like they are in a mirror, but in fact, it was just a frame and Linda's sister mimicked what Linda was doing on the other side of the frame

[@inctru]

She did quite the physical transformation between the original Terminator & Terminator 2. It was great. I also loved Rachel Mclish back in those day.

[@followthesun2115]

Linda is such a talented actress. Love her expressive eyes!

[@LukeLovesRose]

She was totally robbed of a Best Actress nomination for Terminator 2

[@TheVanillatech]

She's ugly though. Can't give the ugly ones an oscar. Maybe a golden globe if i was feeling generous and I DONT KNOW WHY I'D BE FEELIN GENEROUS!

[@crashfan9997]

Similarly so was Uma Thurman for Kill Bill imo. Maybe Volume 2 specifically.

[@TheVanillatech]

@@crashfan9997 My god, Uma Thurman!? What is this? Nominate an ugly woman for an oscar week?!

[@canontheory]

@@crashfan9997 who the heck won that year then over them?

[@bulversteher]

@@canontheory Jodie Foster for The Silence of the Lambs. Linda wasn't even nominated. Oddly enough, T2 won the Oscar for best sound and sound editing, despite having really miserable sound.

[@bugnazbinnyking1198]

3:10 _"The character, she's turned into a warrior since the last show"_ Seeing Linda Hamilton turn up in T2 as a warrior really sold the immersion for me. It made it real ✨ The difference is even more amazing when you next go back and watch The Terminator.

[@jackm4457]

Dave regulary poked fun at "Beauty and the Beast" while it was on the air. In one of his "what's on the other networks" segments, he "read" the (fake) synopsis from TV Guide: "Catherine is beside herself when she finds Vincent drinking from her toilet."

[@jedijones]

I started remembering that after seeing him make fun of the show here.

[@thomassanio8745]

Amazing transformation she went thru and great acting to boot!

[@christineedwards8618]

Linda Hamilton- She is much nicer than you know- honest and extremely considerate-?I was honored to meet her. Her talent is dynamic.

[@calixa]

One of my absolute fav roles of all time. When she breaks that guys nose in the psych ward and then starts skipping down the hall. NO FATE

[@r_a_]

Whenever I saw the kids play ground park burning scene in T2 I used to think Linda Hamilton looked different from usual. Much later I came to know she was not Linda but her sister. And now today just came to know through this comment section that her sister has passed away. It is as if I saw her sister in T2 just a few years ago. Life keeps breaking the heart again and again and again. So many people we grew up watching in films TV etc are passing away one by one. And one day none of us will be here. 💔

[@carlosoliveira-rc2xt]

Cheer up, life is too short to dwell on such things. ☺

[@inzynierskacompany9084]

When someones says that there weren't strong women in the movies before Disney, Netflix and all that corporations I slam them in the face with Linda Hamilton picture from T2. Great character tough but preserving carring mother touch for her son.

[@keithklassen5320]

Nobody says that.

[@HAZARDOUS88]

​@@keithklassen5320 They definitely do

[@BadFluffy]

You can say a lot of things about Sarah Connor but caring mother? Nah man. She loved her son, that's for sure, but she was too obsessed about his importance as a future leader to care for him as a human being.

[@adampiggott5430]

Well, now we need to see the episode when Arnold comes on the show and has to explain his hugging technique.

[@danielvanness6936]

Wow! She is the full package. Beautiful, talented, smart, funny. I love how she laughed and had fun with Dave. What an incredible woman.

[@michaellopez2070]

She was in amazing shape for that movie. Still remember her doing pullups in the ward.

[@user-xm1et7cz2o]

One of the best scenes in movie history, in my opinion.

[@crystallove1444]

Same. Iconic.

[@CTG192003]

She looks like Kirstie Alley meets Topanga lol ❤️😍

[@boomerang8909]

The arm wrestling at the end... 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@kenweis7913]

This is a gem of film.....1990 when things were excellent

[@richardherron7670]

She still looks tremendous to this day. Wonderful actress.

[@CoolGobyFish]

dude, are you for real? she looks like a chain smoker that laid out on the sun for years. T2 is the pinacle of her attractiveness

[@carlosoliveira-rc2xt]

She hasn't aged well.

[@Rogge73]

No

[@richardherron7670]

Think about it she was made up like that for terminator genesis.Obviously you're not for real...

[@CoolGobyFish]

@@richardherron7670 no. that's what she really looks like. even her voice is of a heavy smoker. nothing wrong with it, we all age. if anything, she looked odd in the new Terminator because they dressed her up as a hot 40 years old, instead of age apropriate.

[@bigboss4178]

born to play Sonya Blade lmao

[@UberDurable]

One of the best movies ever made!

[@gogoyubari366]

She is beautiful!

[@Scottyman99]

Had a HUUUUGE crush on her when she did Beauty and the Beast.

[@mannybravo237]

Sad! R I P to Leslie, Linda's sis🕯 I'm inspired to do some pull-ups! Love her cut arms💪🏽

[@thelettermanpodcast]

It sounds like Dave begins this segment saying: From the “Terminator 2: Beauty & The Beast.” Somebody get a big-time Hollywood writer! That’s Gold!

[@bobbiejones9266]

Linda Hamilton is one of my favorite actresses. She has been for a very long time. Any time she is in a movie, I watch. I wish she was even in more movies. She has that gift of being the person she portrays plus her facial expressions show what the character is thinking and feeling.

[@jagster59]

As a young teen, I instantly developed a massive crush on Linda Hamilton in her first movie, "Tag: The Assassination Game". OMG, what an absolute dream beauty. I still cherish that fond memory and still a big fan. Great performances in the Terminator franchise. 💕

[@Ganiscol]

When you compare Linda's rendition of a tough action woman and compare it to many if not most of the past 15 years, I'd like to clone her. Come on, those noodle armed beauties backsuplexing, neck snapping dudes with MMA physique has become a parody of itself! I'm not asking for Ana Bolika type women, but exactly how Linda Hamilton did it and crowned it with her acting performance that made it believable in T2. She was and will always be my queen of action cinema, based on just that transformative role from T1 and T2.

[@talaniel]

That's maybe why Gina Carano as Cara Dune was so popular - she actually participated in MMA for real :-)

[@jelliscorpio]

Compare the preparation Linda went through to Natalie Portman in Thor for example, all CGI muscles and CGI armour.

[@BadFluffy]

The truth is all the old boys are going on about Ripley and Sarah Connor being icons but if these two characters were in movies today, they would get the same social media BS that every other female action character is getting. Nobody was telling them they were "baaaaaaaad" back then so they didn't "notice"

[@angu15]

Linda: you wanna see? MY JAW WAS ON THE FLOOR

[@damianstarks3338]

Amazing interview T2 is a masterpiece.

[@Highbudget]

It's funny because ever since I was a little kid I always thought something was off about that scene in T2 where it shows Linda's sister, I always wondered whether that really was Linda there as I had no idea about her having a twin sister, I felt like it wasn't her. Now I'm finding out that it wasn't Actually Lynda but her twin sister. My little brain picked it up which is interesting

[@Pinkielover]

rip To her twin sister Leslie Hamilton sHe passed in August ,2020 from COVID-19

[@passisilenziosi_]

❤️❤️ 🕯️😔

[@snoozy04]

The T1 to T2 Sarah Connor was such a dramatic change.

[@Chris-lz1fs]

I admired her character in T2 as she was such a tough nut who never gave up. Just watching this has reminded me of the film and I'm actually going to watch it again for the first time in years. I need a bit of inspiration!

[@pakdolan]

"This is with steroids." I burst my coffee on my computer! 😂😂😂

[@rickytoddbotelho9555]

Amazing ♥️ Linda. It's funny now that Jamie won an Oscar, Sigourney and her are our royalty 👑

[@Scoupe400]

Well, class act, and she was professional and had the banter - more than her hosts script. Always intrigued to see how actors come across off film.

[@johnfazzari6208]

the outro music was Won't Get Fooled Again by The Who.

[@IrishPride7]

She should of got an Oscar for T2

[@romulus_]

I always found her alluring. T2, role of a lifetime.

[@CharlesVanNoland]

This was about a week before T2 came out in theaters.

[@MrTsampson100]

PURE TALENT and BEAUTY!!! ❤

[@MrJohnni9999]

I first saw her as King Kong´s doctor in "King Kong Lives". She is such an underrated actor!

[@kstepko]

LINDA: Oh God … it’s such an old story. ME: 🎶Tale as old as time …🎶

[@jedijones]

The Disney movie wasn't out yet for another few months after this interview.

[@kstepko]

@@jedijones I’m aware. It is what came to mind for me, living here in 2023, for whom the movie does exist.

[@jordanjohnroe6776]

She would’ve made a real good ass Sonya Blade too

[@rex-racer]

2:26 “You know, it’s interesting, because television, it just comes and goes; I mean, once it’s over it just heads to the ionosphere.” Oh Dave, if you only knew.

[@Kaz741]

Shes my hero I love everything Linda Hamilton but especially Beauty and the beast. Absolutely beautiful 😍

[@matthewjohnson6886]

Wonderful lady 👏 the scene where she tries to assassinate Dyson was jaw dropping for me because you just realize that this woman means business.

[@chuckselvage3157]

Linda is so attractive and comes across as an awesome personality.

[@zingystardust4082]

Yep, she was absolutely stunning there.

[@BigBass-xf5yi]

I miss these days.

[@haydencooper_]

I was waiting for them to throw to a clip of the movie like they do now.😯

[@acun4075]

One of the movies where the sequel was as good if not better than the original, reminds me of Alien and Aliens, great movies.

[@jlobiafra]

Both were directed by James Cameron also

[@johnknight9150]

For any Scottish viewers, no, that's not what they meant by "Linda Hamilton is Pumped".

[@Vixinaful]

"Ive worked for alot of big monkeys" 😆Nailed it, Linda!

[@patrick4662]

What an amazing human

[@KillaCommieFerMommie]

I just watched "Silent Night" a 2002 Christmas drama she starred in.... What a great movie

[@knives5964]

This woman was hot asf especially when T2 dropped, she always had that tomboy vibe on her.

[@marcgrondin65]

convinced she could get a pin on Dave from the looks of it. what an amazing woman !

[@SKYSCRAPERTELEVISION]

I wonder if I am the only one who remembers Linda was on an episode of The Odd Couple.... Jack Klugman and Tony Randall....The episode is titled, " Bunny is missing down by the lake."

[@jedijones]

Did they find Bunny?

[@warriormanmaxx8991]

Yeahhh ... you are the ONLY one who remembers!!

[@michaelsmiley15]

She did a lot of training for scenes that were cut from the film

[@patriciaalston1082]

Well done Linda I love it. 💚💙😍🥰❤️♥️💜🌹

[@speedyubergonzales]

The pull-up scene .

[@ManiaMGVitrine]

Wonderful

[@KungEMuller]

Wow! Who knew that Linda Hamilton has a twin?

[@kstepko]

I think I knew that, but only because of them using her as Linda’s double in T2.

[@KungEMuller]

@@kstepko Yeah, but her twin is a nurse.

[@louisrios5546]

I looked it up. Sadly, her twin sister died in 2020. The cause of death wasn't announced.

[@warriormanmaxx8991]

Hey @Kung-E Muller - I and several other's below knew. Do you ask many rhetorical questions much in daily life, too?

[@KungEMuller]

@@warriormanmaxx8991 I don't know if I have asked too many rhetorical questions before. Anyway, you may know that, but so many others don't.

[@nightshiftnyc911]

Letterman at his best . FUNNY! 🤣

[@aparecidadefatimafernandes3579]

Linda é perfeita. ❤❤ amo Linda Hamilton.

[@issiewizzie]

I really fancied Linda back in the day

[@iancourtney2983]

That was a fine piece of acting when terminator arrives she.s on the floor the look on her face!

[@deniseclaeys8295]

The way she tries to scramble away is very realistic physical acting. Sarah Connor was my hero as a young adult athlete.

[@fobbitoperator3620]

She's such a a doll!

[@ToiletClogger1945]

Mary Steenbergen and Linda Hamilton have smiles that could end wars

[@Irishesbox11]

Humble, beautiful, talented and completely natural

[@VeryKinkyCurl]

I’d still love to meet her! Both Terminators 1 & 2 were classics. I related more to 2 due to the era.

[@JPSkyeBlue]

I was lucky enough to meet her last year and she far and away exceeded any expectations. I’d always heard how lovely she is - but she was just so incredibly kind and genuine and generous. ❤

[@Ashleykeithdavidharper]

Absolutely gorgeous and beautiful I’ve always loved linda

[@bathizargupta249]

She's gorgeous

[@LivLaRaj]

Oh, I remember seeing this back then! I was reminded of the playful arm wrestle handshake they had in the end.... (*Linda Hamilton, fellow native of my hometown of Salisbury , MD)

[@westerling8436]

Rating every Letterman interview with attractive women. Creep factor: 4.5

[@Jimnu991]

God, she is absolutely stunning

[@cthulhu888]

Wish ladies would still get this fit for movies nowadays, they used to be everywhere in the 90s

[@joy2000cyber]

Both James Cameron and Linda Hamilton are quite into inter-species mating😂

[@AsadDelRey]

What a great joke 🤣👌

[@fredsalter1915]

She's such a darling!!!

[@inrainbowman]

RIP❤❤❤

[@supermanguy1214]

She’s always been beautiful 😊

[@sp4604]

she sold the character so well as did Arnold and Robert Patrick.

[@Blumoon_vii]

Shes beautiful omg how beautiful she is unreal that hair that face those eyes

[@T--xk3hf]

In Scotland, the thumbnail means something else

[@amigatommy7]

Cool picture

[@TheMoni700]

She is pretty without a lot of make up

[@user-xr5gu1rq6f]

"I expected it"

[@michaelparks6120]

My Mom loved that show.....of course she has dementia now.

[@nufcedkidyup8627]

It's funny, yet super sorry as well. I lost my Dad to it in '17.

[@warriormanmaxx8991]

Hey @Michael parks - your Mom did NOT have to have dementia, thus what is "of course" all about ?!?

[@michaelparks6120]

@@warriormanmaxx8991 obviously, her condition is directly related to her watching of the 80s television show "Beauty and the Beast".

[@michaelparks6120]

@@nufcedkidyup8627 My sympathies.

[@deecohen1383]

All I remember is I WANT TO HAVE ARM MUSCLES LIKE HERRRRRRRRR

[@thebestianwilman995]

Linda is so beautiful and cute!

[@MyLifeThai371]

Linda Hamilton was so hot in T-2!!!