Linda Hamilton has opened up about her former marriage to James Cameron, who directed her in the film Terminator: Dark Fate.
In an interview with The New York Times, Hamilton said that the relationship was “a mystery” to both of them, adding that they were “terribly mismatched”.
The two met on the set of the first Terminator film in 1984, and started dating after filming Terminator 2: Judgment Day.
“I think what happened there is that he really fell in love with Sarah Connor,” Hamilton said, referring to her character in the film. “And I did, too.”
Cameron echoed her sentiments, saying that he initially fell in love with her because he thought she was closer to the character of Sarah Connor than she actually is.
Despite their feelings for each other, the two were unable to make their relationship work. “I think we were just in this high-velocity spiral around each other for a long time,” Cameron said. “We were fascinated by each other.”
The couple got married in 1997, but their relationship ended in 1999. Hamilton said that the breakup left her “completely devastated for years”.
“But I’m so glad to be free of that,” she said. “I would never, ever put that much energy again into something that is not working.”
After their split, Hamilton took a step back from acting.
“I woke up one day and I was like, ‘Well, here I am in my beautiful mansion and my kids aren’t here, my agents aren’t calling, and this is not real,” she said.
“I love my along time like no one you’ve ever met.”
She revealed that she had been celibate for at least 15 years, saying that it “just doesn’t matter” to her.
Despite their difficult past, Hamilton and Cameron are now working together again on Terminator: Dark Fate.
The film, which is produced by Cameron and directed by Tim Miller, sees Hamilton return to her iconic role as Sarah Connor.
It also features Arnold Schwarzenegger as the T-800 robot that was sent to kill her in the original 1984 film. In July, the two actors reunited to promote the upcoming sequel at Comic-Con in San Diego, California.
It remains to be seen how the film will be received by fans, but Schwarzenegger has high hopes for it.
“I think that you will all be surprised with this movie because it has come out unbelievable,” he said. “I was blown away by it when I first saw it.”
