"My hip was hurting": Linda Hamilton says she contemplated retirement before taking on role in Netflix's Stranger Things

Terminator star and future Stranger Things actor Linda Hamilton recently revealed to The Hollywood Reporter that she was very close to retiring before Hawkins came calling:

“My hip was hurting for a couple of years and I was like, 'I’m just so tired of being tough, and I just want to be able to make plans and make sure I can be there,' because actors never, ever can be there when they say they’re going to be there.”

The 67-year-old actor, whose portrayal of Sarah Connor in The Terminator cemented her position as a Hollywood legend, discussed her career path, the new world of special effects, and her future roles in the interview. The actress said she’d “complained to my agent” about the hip pain that she felt while preparing for season 3 of her current show, Resident Alien. She recalled with a laugh:

"I was getting ready to do season three of Resident Alien. I was like, “Dude, I don’t even know if I’m going to get there. I hurt." And he’s [the agent] like, “Oh, you don’t mean that.”"

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Linda Hamilton says her agent accepted the Stranger Things offer without consulting the actor

In the article, which came out on April 12, Linda Hamilton disclosed that she was close to hanging up her boots, before finding out that she had bagged an undisclosed role in the final season of Stranger Things.

She elaborated:

“I literally felt like I was an actress getting my first meaningful part [with Stranger Things]. It’s funny how it recycles. It’s not that I felt forgotten, but I was actually talking about retirement, not because there isn’t enough to do, but just I’m tired of being tough.”

At this point, Hamilton said one of the main reasons behind her decision to retire was her hip, which had been hurting for a few years. She even recalled speaking to her manager about the same. However, the retirement was seemingly not to be, and barely two weeks later, Hamilton’s agent got a call from the Netflix show.

““Is Linda Hamilton available from June to June?” And he (the agent) went, “Yes.” He didn’t even ask me.”

Linda Hamilton, however, revealed that she would have been open to coming out of retirement for Stranger Things, even if she had actually quit before that:

“I’d come out of retirement to do it, yeah. And I think that’s going to give me another 15 minutes with a new audience, which is cool. And Terminator, that’s still going to be the big trump card for most everything. That fan base is fantastic, because they actually treat me like I saved the world.”

Hamilton also spoke about not watching Stranger Things anymore as she was going to feature in it. During the interview, she said how she does the same with her own show, Resident Alien:

“No, that’s right. I haven’t seen Resident Alien either. I get to read it, and I get to watch it at the table reads, but I just can’t bear looking at myself anymore. I just think … I don’t know. It’s all there. It’s done. What else is there to say? I just don’t like watching myself that much anymore.”

Linda Hamilton is currently playing the role of General Eleanor McCallister in the science fiction comedy series, Resident Alien, which is in its third season.

The interview concluded with Hamilton speaking about her interest in playing other kinds of roles:

"I used to want to do a Western. I could be the matriarch of a family. I’d love to do a little more period drama, you know? My costume for 40 years in this business has been blood and tangles."

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Stranger Things season 5 is not expected to return to screens before 2025. However, all previous seasons of the show are currently streaming on Netflix.