Hamilton Haunts Connor’s Headey
By Ian Spelling
Source: Scifi.com

Lena Headey, who plays the title character in Fox’s upcoming SF series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, told reporters she’s been asked repeatedly about stepping into the shoes of Linda Hamilton, who played the character in two theatrical Terminator films. And she knows that some fans don’t like the idea.

“I guess that ghost is always going to be there,” Headey said in a Jan. 7 conference call with journalists. “She’s such a beloved, iconic character that certain people will never open their minds, but, you know … their loss.”

In the series, Headey’s Connor battles to protect her son, John (Thomas Dekker), a teenager who will eventually lead the human resistance against Skynet and the machines–that is, if Terminators from the future don’t kill him first. (Hamilton played the character in the original Terminator movie and again in Terminator 2: Judgment Day.)

Headey (300) also encountered the Hamilton question at a fan event at Los Angeles’ Golden Apple comic shop over the weekend. “You know, Linda Hamilton did a great job,” she said wearily in an interview. “I’m wondering if this is ever going to go away, this question. But you’ll know next week that I’ve made her my own, and hopefully people will embrace a new Sarah Connor and enjoy her just as much.”

The Bermuda-born, English-raised Headey added that the series allows the character to go places the films didn’t. “I think there’s more chance for … development emotionally, so you get to know her more than you probably did in the movies, because we have more time,” she said.

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, which was created and is executive-produced by Josh Friedman, debuts on the Fox broadcasting network over two nights, Jan. 13 at 8 p.m. ET/PT and Jan. 14 at 9 p.m., before moving to its regular timeslot, Mondays at 8 p.m.