The Terminator franchise has been a part of sci-fi pop culture for several decades, beginning with the breakout success of The Terminator in 1984, and continuing with the 1991 blockbuster Terminator 2: Judgment Day. The sequel was followed by Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines in 2003, which didn’t replicate the overwhelming success of the first sequel. Terminator 2: Judgment Day became the highest-grossing movie of 1991, and remains the most lauded installment of the entire franchise. Yet Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines continues to charm audiences who have been underwhelmed by the sequels and prequels released between 2003 and present day. Many fans look back on the story and characters fondly, and other elements that made the movie special.
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines was the first part of the Terminator franchise that was not directed by James Cameron, as the reins were instead handed over to director Jonathan Mostow. Fan-favorite characters such as Sarah Connor are also absent for the first time in the franchise, but the T-800 and John Connor return, engaging in another time-warping escape from Skynet that is rooted firmly in the success of the first sequel. The cast of this movie was mostly new to audiences at the time of release, but many have since become icons in popular media.
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Few action stars have made the same impact as Arnold Schwarzenegger, a titan of the movie industry and a thriving politician to boot. Schwarzenegger made his breakout debut in Conan the Barbarian in 1982, and continued his winning streak with The Terminator shortly afterwards. His return as the T-800 in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines was undoubtedly crucial to the movie’s success, and set the actor up to come back for its sequels much later: Terminator: Genisys (2015) and Terminator: Dark Fate (2019).
Schwarzenegger’s role as the unfeeling but deadly AI machine was one of many pursuits in his life. However, the actor also served as the 38th governor of California between 2003 and 2011, and since his retirement, has become an outspoken activist. Now aged 75, Schwarzenegger’s most recent venture has been to demonstrate support on social media for the Ukrainian effort to resist Russian invasion. Movie star or not, his influence on modern popular culture is immense.
Nick Stahl
The character of John Connor is the key to the entire Terminator franchise, even if the man himself isn’t being actively portrayed. In Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, Stahl plays the second adult version of John Connor, but the first to have a role outside a cameo. John Connor is condemned to a life of constant revisions to his history, as Skynet’s Terminators repeatedly attempt to destroy his future.
In this movie, Stahl builds on the character that was defined by Edward Furlong in 1991, and creates another odd-couple relationship with the stoic T-800. Stahl began his career as a child actor, but later took on defining adult roles. He has appeared in Sin City (2008) and Fear the Walking Dead (2021). He will soon star in Knights of the Zodiac (2023).
Claire Danes
Another actor within this franchise who has gone on to have a prosperous career is Claire Danes, who portrays Kate Brewster in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. Much like the character Sarah Connor, who was the heroine of the first two Terminator movies, Kate is burdened with a great and terrible destiny. She is the future partner of John Connor, though during the third Terminator installment, she is merely a civilian caught up in an assassination attempt against her.
Danes has starred in numerous award-winning productions, both before her stint in Terminator 3 and after. She is known for Romeo and Juliet (1997), Stardust (2007), and Homeland (2011-2020). The latter series earned multiple awards during its run, and cemented Danes as a sought-after leading actor. Her most notable recent role was in The Essex Serpent on Apple TV+, which aired in 2022.
Kristanna Loken
It is no easy feat to play a Terminator opposite Schwarzenegger’s original T-800, and Robert Patrick’s T-1000 left equally big shoes to fill. Yet Loken’s iteration of the T-X, the newest model of Terminator in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, made a deep impression upon the franchise. The T-X hunts John Connor and Kate Brewster throughout the movie, and Loken’s portrayal is as intimidating as her AI predecessors.
This role was a defining one in Loken's career, as she has appeared in many TV series and movies since 2003. She has starred in The L-Word (2007-2008) and Burn Notice (2011-2012). She also had guest roles on Girl Meets World (2015) and Lethal Weapon (2017).
David Andrews
There is no character archetype more ubiquitous in action movies than the military father of the main actor’s female love interest, and David Andrews fulfills that role in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. Andrews plays Lieutenant General Brewster, the father of Kate Brewster, who is unwittingly participating in the creation of Skynet for Cyber Research Systems.
Andrews plays Brewster with a defiant and sympathetic slant, and his other performances are just as engaging. Andrews had his breakout in Nightmare on Elm Street in 1984, and went on to have an extremely prolific career in film. His latest role was in the series Queen of the South, which ran for five seasons from 2016-2021.
Earl Boen
The character of Dr. Peter Silberman appears in every Terminator movie, an honor which is matched only by Arnold Schwarzenegger’s T-800. In Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, Boen only has a single scene, but it allows him to keep his title as a crucial part of the Terminator universe.
Boen has an extensive filmography outside the franchise too, appearing in The Golden Girls, Boy Meets World, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and the movie Marked For Death (1990). Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines was Boen’s last on-screen performance, besides a cameo flashback appearance in Terminator: Dark Fate (2019).
The cast of Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines ensured that the third installment of this beloved series of movies lived up to expectations. It wasn’t the record-breaker that preceded it, but the commitment to continuing the story of John Connor and his family is undeniably present. Few sci-fi blockbusters can replicate the mixture of domestic drama and futuristic thriller that launched Arnold Schwarzenegger as a star, and contributed to long-lasting pop culture tropes. This cast may not even be done with the franchise yet. There’s no telling when or where another Terminator will show up.