Arnold Schwar­zenegger says OJ Simpson was originally cast as The Terminator

The actor has revealed for the first time the controversial, high-profile figure who was initially set to star in the iconic franchise.

Arnold Schwarzenegger in a scene from 1984 film The Terminator.

OJ Simpson was originally cast to play The Terminator, Arnie Schwar­zenegger has revealed.

Director James Cameron had Simpson due to play the cyborg, and Schwar­zenegger was set to be rebel soldier Kyle Reese, reports The Sun.

But the Austrian actor, 76, said he showed “too much enthusiasm” for the character of the time-travelling assassin.

Arnold Schwarzenegger has revealed that OJ Simpson was initially considered for the role of The Terminator. PICTURE : HEMDALE FILM CORPORATION

Schwarzenegger made the revelation on the Smartless Podcast. Picture: Tolga Akmen / AFP)

He told the Smartless podcast: “I think OJ Simpson was cast, not yet a contract signed, but was cast already to play The Terminator.

“So Cameron was trying to talk me into playing the Terminator and I said, ‘Nah, I want to play Reese’.

“He said, ‘No, you understand the Terminator.

“You talk about how he has to walk and turn his head like a machine.

“’That’s exactly what he has to do.’

“Anyway, he talked me into it.”

Disgraced US footballer OJ Simpson later spent nine years behind bars for armed robbery. Picture: AFP Photo/Getty Images/STR

The 1984 film took more than $78 million at the box office, spawning several sequels.

Meanwhile, in 1995, ex-American football star Simpson was found not guilty of the murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman. They were both stabbed to death in LA.

A civil trial later found him liable for their wrongful deaths.

This article originally appeared in The Sun and was reproduced with permission.

Originally published as Arnold Schwar­zenegger says OJ Simpson was originally cast as The Terminator