Both Arnold Schwarzenegger and Michael Biehn thought The Terminator was going to suck.
Schwarzenegger initially turned the title role down — he had to be talked into accepting by James Cameron — and during production, in talking to a friend, referred to it as “some shit movie I’m doing”.
Meanwhile, Biehn, who played male protagonist Kyle Reese, also initially turned the role down, because he thought the story was ridiculous. He, too, had to be talked into changing his mind by Cameron.
The Terminator would go on to gross $78 million — over $220 million in today’s dollars — against its budget of $6.4 million, would spawn five sequels (of varying quality), and today is a bona fide sci-fi/action classic.