Did You Know That Billy Idol Was Nearly Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Evil Nemesis in ‘Terminator 2: Judgment Day’? 

Many rock stars and celebrity figures have missed out on career opportunities due to injuries and or health complications. Frankly, the list is too long to count, but in this article, we are going to focus on one opportunity that would have entirely changed the career of Billy Idol. That opportunity was starring alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in James Cameron’s blockbuster smash hit, Terminator 2: Judgment Day.

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The Terminator franchise is one of the most successful movie franchises of all time. Furthermore, the original movie, simply titled The Terminator, is the movie that turned Arnold Schwarzenegger into an international bona fide action movie star. Needless to say, the film was a hit, as was the second one, and Billy Idol could have been a part of that success if it weren’t for a near-death motorcycle accident.

The Accident That Cost Billy Idol the Part and Nearly His Leg

On February 6, 1990, Billy Idol reportedly ran a stop sign on his Harley-Davidson motorcycle. As a result of breaking the traffic law, another driver struck Idol, severely injuring him. Given the severity of his accident, Billy Idol nearly lost one of his legs.

Recalling the accident, Billy Idol stated, “It was a particularly horrible, painful time, when I really didn’t know what was going to happen. I didn’t quite know if I could save my leg or whether it was going to be cut off.” ” I’d really seriously damaged my leg, and I could have died in the accident. I was in the hospital for a month, and I had seven operations,” added Idol per Yahoo Entertainment.

At the time of the accident, Billy Idol intended to play the iconic T-1000 villain in Terminator 2: Judgment Day. We can all agree that Idol would have been perfect for the role, but given his injury, James Cameron had to recast the role. Actor Robert Patrick ended up portraying the infamous villain.

Even though this was seemingly an enormously missed opportunity for Idol, he had bigger fish to fry at the time. Specifically, Idol was a drug addict, and this crash was a major wake-up call. “It was a bit of a watershed time for me. I had to change my life, had to think about things…I was going to kill myself, or I was going to go crazy, or be locked up forever. The motorcycle accident was a good sign of ‘You’ve got to stop,’” said Billy Idol.

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