Miller, noting that she would wake up at
4am every morning to get a workout
in before filming. “She has this innate
strength in her — she’s powerfully built,
but still lithe and fast. I think she worked
the hardest in the film to get into the
kind of shape where she could become
this credible machine-fighter.”
Cybernetically altered, Grace is part
woman, part machine, her body enhanced
beyond human strength and endurance
by implants and augmentations. The
result is a woman just as formidable
as the Terminator itself — a machine-
fighter who can trade blows with a robot
killer without giving an inch.
Alongside Davis, Linda Hamilton
returns as a more grizzled Sarah Connor,
while Natalia Reyes steps in as Dani
Ramos, who’s unwittingly thrust into the
killer machine’s crosshairs. Together, the
three face off against Dark Fate’s new
iteration of the Terminator, played by
Gabriel Luna. Combining the classic
cyborg skeleton with a liquid metal skin,
this is an opponent to give even a
machine-fighter a run for her money. And
then there’s Schwarzenegger’s T-800,
returning once again, but whose role and
allegiances are being kep under wraps.
If anyone can tackle whatever the
future brings to bear it’s Grace, but such
gifts come with a cost, and scars that
run deeper than the marks on her skin.
“It was really important to me to find
an actor that you would have a lot of
empathy for. Because at the end of the
day, I didn’t just want someone who
could throw a punch; I wanted someone
who you feel for.” A body of iron, then,
but not a heart of stone. JAMES DYERTERMINATOR: DARK FATE IS IN CINEMAS
FROM 31 OCTOBERIn a franchise famous for strong women, Terminator:
Dark Fate promises something more — a woman capable
of “beating the living fuck” out of Skynet’s bestCould she
terminate a
Te r m i n a t o r?
Empire spoke to Tim
Miller on the phone on
20 May, days before the
trailer launched.JAMES CAMERON’S FIRST
two Terminator films both rested upon
the shoulders of a powerful female hero.
But even the black-clad paramilitary
Sarah Connor of T2 couldn’t hope to
go punch-for-punch with a Terminator
and come out on top. That all changes in
Dark Fate, with the arrival of Mackenzie
Davis’ Grace. “She’s been specially
enhanced to fight Terminators,” explains
director Tim Miller. “In the movie’s
first big action sequence she’s just beating
the living fuck out of him with
a sledgehammer. It’s great!”
Last seen changing nappies and
downing shots in Tully, Mackenzie Davis’
latest role is a million miles from Jason
Reitman’s super nanny. As a battle-worn
fighter she’s all muscle and menace:
a saviour from the future who’s neither
human nor Terminator but somewhere
in-between. “Mackenzie is fantastic,” saysHere: Grace (Mackenzie Davis),
with Dani Ramos (Natalia Reyes).
Below: Director Tim Miller compares
notes with Linda Hamilton.
Bottom: Yes, he is back... Arnold
Schwarzenegger’s T-800.