Linda Hamilton channels her iconic Terminator character in big-screen return

She vowed never to star in this film franchise again, but this Hollywood star appeared to channel her iconic character from the blockbuster movies.

She vowed never to star in the Terminator franchise again, but Linda Hamilton appears to channel her iconic character from the franchise as she makes her return to the big screen.

The Hollywood star walked the red carpet in New Orleans, Louisiana, overnight at the screening of her new sci-fi film Osiris, which marks her first movie in six years.

The 68-year-old almost looked unrecognisable in a pretty pink dress at the Prytania Theatre, looking in stark contrast to the gun-toting, bad-ass she’s known for in the Terminator films.

Actress Linda Hamilton arrives at a screening of her new movie Osiris at Prytania Theatre on July 8 in New Orleans. Picture: Skip Bolen/Getty Images

Nonetheless, the actress can still pack a punch, playing a Russian militant Anya in the film who comes to the aid of a group of US Special Forces who’ve been abducted by an alien space craft.

In the action-thriller, Hamilton’s role echoes the Sarah Connor character she played in three of the Terminator films opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger: The Terminator and two of its sequels, Terminator 2: Judgment Day and Terminator: Dark Fate.

The latter was released in 2019 and Hamilton has only appeared on TV projects in the six years since, including a recurring role in the mystery comedy-drama Resident Alien.

But now she makes her return to the big screen – and she only had 10 days notice to join the movie after another actor was recast because of a medical issue.

Hamilton plays Russian militant Anya in the action-thriller. Picture: Vertical

The actress in an iconic scene from Terminator II.

“It was hellish for a while,” Hamilton recently recalled to ScreenRant. “Because my character is the one that really explains the story. There are gobs of Russian coming out of my mouth. But it was fun! It’s fun when you have to think on your feet.”

“I worked my tail off, and we had a fantastic time. It was great... it was a dream job.”

It comes after Hamilton vowed never to star in a Terminator film again following the 2019 offering Terminator: Dark Fate.

With Terminator: Dark Fate co-stars Natalia Reyes (left) and Mackenzie David.

Hamilton and Terminator co-star Arnold Schwarzenegger speak on stage during the CinemaCon Paramount Pictures Exclusive Presentation at the Colosseum Caesars Palace in Las Vegas in 2019. Picture: VALERIE MACON / AFP

When asked by The Hollywood Reporter last year what was more likelier: her returning as Sarah Connor or AI writing the next Terminator movie, she didn’t hesitate in her reply:

“AI writing the next Terminator movie. And they kill me off before we start. That’s the best scenario,” she said.

Hamilton was also married the blockbuster franchise’s director and producer James Cameron from 1997 to 1999. When doing press for Terminator: Dark Fate in 2019, the star – who never remarried – revealed that she had been celibate for 15 years.

“I love my alone time like no one you’ve ever met,” Hamilton told the New York Times at the time. “I’ve been celibate for at least 15 years. One loses track, because it just doesn’t matter – or at least it doesn’t matter to me.”

“I have a very romantic relationship with my world every day and the people who are in it.”