Linda Hamilton
It was back in 1984 when Linda Hamilton first appeared as iconic heroine Sarah Connor in ‘The Terminator,’ directed by James Cameron.
In 1991, the actress reprised her role in box office smash ‘Terminator 2: Judgment Day,’ but didn’t return for the third instalment, ‘Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines,’ this time directed by Jonathan Mostow.
In an interview with MTV, Hamilton said: “I read it, and I knew my character arc was so complete in the first two. [Sarah] died halfway through and there was no time to mourn her. It was kind of disposable, so I said, ‘No thank you.’"
Surprisingly, Hamilton made a comeback in 2009 as a voice actress in ‘Terminator Salvation,’ only to turn down the franchise for 10 years, not even returning for 2008 TV series ‘Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles’ - which saw Lana Headey as Sarah Connor. She also didn't appear in 2015 film ‘Terminator Genisys’.
It wasn’t until 2019 that Linda returned as Sarah in ‘Terminator: Dark Fate.’ However, after the latter’s release, Linda told The Hollywood Reporter: “I would be quite happy to never return. I would really love to be done."
Interesting fact - James Cameron and Linda Hamilton were married from 1997 to 1999.