Linda Hamilton Says She is Done with ‘Terminator’ Franchise

One of the all-time great Hollywood franchises will have to move on without its iconic star.

Linda Hamilton, the original Sarah Connor in “The Terminator” franchise, says she will no longer reprise her role.

Hamilton has played Sarah Connor in all but one of “The Terminator” movies, and she now says her last appearance will be just that, her last.

Time to Go

Hamilton threw some shade at the series in her departure, stating, "I'm done. I'm done. I have nothing more to say. The story's been told, and it's been done to death.

"Why anybody would relaunch it is a mystery to me. But I know our Hollywood world is built on relaunches right now."

She is right, of course, as virtually every movie has the same plot.

That, however, did not stop her from appearing in the sequels, "Terminator 2: Judgement Day," "T2-3D: Battle Across Time," "Terminator Salvation," and most recently, "Terminator: Dark Fate."

The only time she was not in the movie was in “Terminator Genisys,” in which Emilia Clarke stood in as Sarah Connor, quite well, I might add.

To fans, she is just as much a part of the franchise as Arnold, but she does not see it that way.

Hamilton explained, "I truly feel like, and felt like, Sarah Connor is not an icon. She's a woman in hell. She makes some really bad choices. She's not a good mother, she's a good fighter!

"So you sort of try to parse the details out and go, 'Well, they respect her strength and her power, and I did create a warrior, but she's very imperfect. She's an imperfect person.'"

Hamilton started her acting career in 1979, paying her dues with small TV and movie roles, finally getting a recurring role in “Secrets of Midland Heights” in 1980 and “King’s Crossing” in 1982.

She also had a small stint on “Hill Street Blues,” then starred as Vicky in “Children of the Corn.”

Somewhere along the way, she caught Arnold and James Cameron’s eye, and Hamilton was picked to star in “The Terminator,” opposite Arnold, and the rest, as they say, is history.

While continuing to play Connor on the big screen, her popularity exploded, playing ADA Catherine Chandler in “Beauty and the Beast” for three years (46 episodes).

Some of the other shows and movies she starred in at the time were “Dante’s Peak,” “The Line,” “Stranger Things,” and “Resident Alien.”

In all, she has more than 80 credits on her resume, and I think it is safe to say she has “The Terminator” to thank for most of it.

Now, the question is, who will be the next Sarah Connor if Cameron and Arnold decide to make another movie? Will it be Emilia Clarke again or will they go in a different direction?