Before joining the cast of Stranger Things for its fifth and final season, Linda Hamilton seriously considered retiring from acting. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the 67-year-old actress opened up about how years of physical pain and the toll of playing tough characters made her contemplate leaving the industry.
“I was actually talking about retirement, not because there isn’t enough to do, but just I’m tired of being tough,” Hamilton revealed. She explained that her hip had been hurting for a couple of years, leading her to rethink her priorities.
“I just want to be able to make plans and make sure I can be there,” she said, reflecting on how unpredictable an actor’s schedule can be.
Hamilton shared that, before filming season three of the SyFy series Resident Alien, she reached a breaking point with her pain. “I told my agent, ‘Dude, I don’t even know if I’m going to get there. I’m hurt.’ And he’s like, ‘Oh, you don’t mean that.’”
Then, not long after her conversation about retirement, she got an offer to join Stranger Things. “Two weeks later, Stranger Things called him and said, ‘Is Linda Hamilton available from June to June?’ And he went, ‘Yes.’ He didn’t even ask me,” she recalled with a laugh.
The actress, known for her iconic role as Sarah Connor in the Terminator franchise, also reflected on her grueling training for Terminator: Dark Fate in 2019. “I’m very glad I did it,” she said of the film, but she made it clear that her action-hero days are behind her. “It’s more likely to have ‘AI writing the next Terminator movie. And they kill me off before we start.’”
Hamilton described her time filming Terminator: Dark Fate as a blend of joy and hardship. “It was the greatest time of my life and the worst time of my life, all rolled into one film. Every day it was like a triathlon: ‘Now we’re going to swim for two hours and then we’re going to run for two hours.’”
She revealed how intense the experience was, saying, “I read 40 books on that show. That’s all I could do, lie down and read, send my mind somewhere else and rest my body.”
Since putting retirement on hold, Hamilton is embracing new roles that showcase her range beyond tough, battle-hardened characters.
“I have people come up to me my entire career saying, ‘You’re so pretty in person!’ And they’re confused! You never see me smile on film,” Hamilton said. Now, she’s excited about roles that let her explore different sides of her acting ability.
“I’m really happy with the work I’m getting now,” she concluded. “It’s not just Resident Alien and Stranger Things. I’m getting some good movie roles that allow me to not be the military person. I really just love the challenge.”
