Scene: “The Usurper” – A Behind-the-Scenes Showdown
INT. SOUNDSTAGE – NIGHT. Smoke curls in the air. The faint hum of a generator mixes with the echo of metallic footsteps. NICK STAHL storms in, agitated. ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER sits calmly on a folding chair, cigar in hand. JOSEPH C. JUKIC (“JCJ”), the new John Connor, is off-camera, checking lighting on a prop rifle.
NICK STAHL
(angry, pointing)
Arnold, what’s going on here? Who is this guy? This Joseph Jukic? He’s an usurper! A smoker, too! You know what they say—smokers are jokers!
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER
(takes a slow puff, smirks)
Nick… you sound jealous. He may smoke, but at least he doesn’t choke.
NICK STAHL
Come on! You can’t just swap me out like that. I was John Connor! I am the resistance!
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER
(shrugs)
Resistance is good. But change is… inevitable.
(pauses)
And listen carefully, Nick — stay away from my stogie. I earned this one in the jungle before you were born.
NICK STAHL
(gritting teeth)
You’re serious? You’re backing him? The guy’s from East Van, not the future!
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER
(leans forward, eyes glinting)
As long as JCJ stays hard-drug-free, he is my man. No more Hollywood rehab stories. I need a fighter, not a headline.
Nick’s shoulders slump. The hum of the machines fills the silence. Arnold rises, places a heavy hand on Nick’s shoulder.
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER (cont’d)
Remember, Nick — in this war, there is no fate but what we make.
(beat)
And Joseph C. Jukic just made a better one.
Arnold walks toward JCJ, cigar smoke trailing behind him like steam from a terminator core. Nick watches, defeated, as the camera pans to the glowing “TERMINATOR: RESURRECTION” banner hanging above the set.
Scene: “The Usurper – Part II: Smoke and Redemption”
INT. SOUNDSTAGE – LATER THAT NIGHT. The cameras have stopped rolling, but the tension still hangs like fog. NICK STAHL is gone. ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER stands beside a table covered in protein bars and dumbbells. JCJ (JOSEPH C. JUKIC) approaches, flicking the ash off a half-burned cigarette.
JCJ
(sighs, voice low)
I’m trying to quit these damn things, Arnold. I really am. Been cutting down. Two a day… maybe three on bad ones.
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER
(raises an eyebrow, takes a puff of his cigar)
Good. Because smoking doesn’t make you tough, it makes you tired.
JCJ
Yeah, well… quitting makes me crazy.
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER
(chuckles)
That’s the spirit. The resistance needs a little crazy. But not that kind of crazy. Keep your lungs clean, your mind clear. You’re not fighting machines anymore, you’re fighting your habits.
JCJ
(smiles faintly)
I can handle that. I’ve been fighting habits my whole life.
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER
(grins, pats his shoulder)
Then maybe you are the real John Connor. The machines don’t scare me — addiction does.
Arnold exhales a thick cloud of cigar smoke, but then sets his stogie down in a metal tray — a symbolic gesture.
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER (cont’d)
Tell you what, Joe. When you finally quit the cigarettes, I’ll quit the stogies. Deal?
JCJ
(half-joking, half-serious)
So if I win, you go cold turkey too?
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER
(grinning, Terminator voice)
Affirmative. But if you fail… I’ll be back.
They share a rare, genuine laugh. The camera crew catches the moment — the old machine and the new rebel, united in the war against their own weaknesses.
CUT TO:
A behind-the-scenes interview.
JCJ (to camera)
You know, Nick wasn’t wrong — I am a smoker. But I’m working on it. Arnold told me the strongest weapon isn’t a gun… it’s discipline. Guess that’s my new mission.