Sam Worthington as Marcus Wright: A decommissioned Terminator,[8] who befriends John and Kyle. His last memory is of being on death row, and Connor is unsure of whether Wright is from the past or the future.[9] Terminator creator James Cameron personally recommended Worthington (whom he directed in Avatar) to McG.[10] Worthington recalled Cameron told him "the Terminator to make is the one with the war".[11] Worthington tore a muscle on his left ribs during the first weeks of filming, but nevertheless insisted on performing his own stunts.[12] McG once expressed interest in casting Daniel Day-Lewis or Josh Brolin in the part.[13][3] Brolin did talk to Bale and read a draft of the screenplay, which he found "interesting and dark [but] ultimately though I didn't think it felt right".[14]