A while ago we asked if fans would buy into Dani Ramos as the franchise lead, as it was very obvious that she was the new “John Connor” of the franchise. It was our opinion that the opening of Terminator: Dark Fate (the death of John) could hinder acceptance of the new character, even Arnold Schwarzenegger said the acceptance of the new female leads would be the “challenge” of the movie.
To promote the home release of Terminator: Dark Fate, ComingSoon.net spoke to Natalia Reyes AKA Dani Ramos.
Natalia’s reaction to replacing John Connor as leader of the Resistance…
It was a surprise. It was shocking. I was auditioning for a big American movie and didn’t really know what the character was or how big the character was going to be – it was all a secret. And so, when I actually read the script, I was on my way to Ireland to meet Mackenzie … I was on that plane reading the script and it was like, “Dani,” and I kept reading, “Dani,” and every page I read Dani was there. She was this young powerful Latina that didn’t die, like they usually do. It was shocking, you know, when I got to the end of the script and she was still there. She was not related to drugs or immigration and she was not a prostitute … it was a surprise because I’m used to those kinds of characters. It was amazing to finally feel well represented in a character in a movie. It was a big surprise to be a part of a movie that finally had a Latina in the main role breaking all of those clichés and things that we’re used to. I’m very proud and that’s one of the reasons I wanted to make the movie. I’m very proud of it.
Natalia Reyes told ComingSoon.net
On where the character would go in subsequent sequels, Natalia said:
You never really know, but I think “Terminator: Dark Fate” opened up a new era for the Terminator franchise. That was one of the challenges. I’m not John Connor. I’m Dani Ramos. It’s a different character. We needed to create a new story that continued to tell the important part of the story, but we also needed to create a different character, not just a new Sarah Connor, not just a new John Connor … a brave, young woman – a nobody, or the girl next door who lived a very simple life who suddenly becomes this very powerful leader.
Natalia Reyes told ComingSoon.net
When talking about character development Natalia Reyes thinks that Dani Ramos is “really well written” and that “we want to see the future with Dani”…
I think the character was really well written. Both James Cameron and Tim Miller had this clear vision of Dani. They wanted her to be this simple girl, but they also needed to see her strength – that she was a brave woman in her community, at her work and with her family. They wanted to see that at the beginning, that she was a brave woman whose life was about to change radically. I think they were really clear about that. But this is just the beginning of a new era, and I think there is space to tell more of the story about Dani. We want to see the future with Dani, we want to see what happens next. But we’ll see. There’s still room for more of her story. There’s also a lot of relevance in the story. We’re talking about technology and science fiction and artificial intelligence, which is no longer the future. It’s the reality we’re living. That’s why the movie is so relevant.
Natalia Reyes told ComingSoon.net
It is our opinion that, had the studios put the level of attention and detail into the character of Dani Ramos that they put into the character of Mackenzie Davis’ ‘Grace’, then maybe a torch pass would have been more successful. Grace was planned to be in sequels, and Tim Miller/the studios were heavily invested in Mackenzie Davis – something the movie screamed loudly in execution and its marketing.
So, do “we” want to see more Dani Ramos? Let us know in the comments below…
