Jai Courtney & Jason Clarke say working with Arnie is surreal

They are two character actors from Down Under whose faces you would recognise more than their names.

But that's about to change for Australians Jason Clarke and Jai Courtney, who have landed the biggest movie of their careers so far as the leading men of sci-fi action blockbuster Terminator Genisys.

Clarke, 45, last seen in Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes (2014), plays the all-important role of hero John Connor.

Courtney, 29, who appeared in action flicks like Jack Reacher, A Good Day To Die Hard and the Divergent movies, plays Connor's trusted lieutenant and comrade Kyle Reese.

The movie, which is the fifth instalment of the film franchise and which opens here tomorrow, sees Arnold Schwarzenegger reprising his role as the T-800, the cyborg companion of Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke).

His mission is to protect her from the evil machines sent from the future to kill her - and thus terminate the existence of John Connor, the future human resistance leader who fights against Skynet, a defence network of machines that took control of the world following a nuclear war the machines initiated.

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The future John also sends Reese back in time to protect Sarah, but the time travelling goes haywire and John becomes a cyborg.

Both Clarke and Courtney, who are affable and chatty, were brimming with excitement about their involvement in the Terminator series and they told M in separate interviews at The London West Hollywood what it was like to be part of Team Arnie.

What was it like working with Schwarzenegger?

Clarke: "For me, when I was in high school, Arnold was the biggest movie star on the planet. The Terminator films were defining. When I heard him saying 'I'll be back' for the first time, it was very surreal.

Arnold is like the Grand Canyon. You've been told it's so amazing and when you see it in real life, it IS amazing. He is a legend, but when you meet him, he is funny, sharp, intelligent and caring. He doesn't disappoint, he meets expectations and surpasses them."

Courtney: "There was definitely a moment and it happened when we were at the table reading the script as a cast and Arnold said some pretty iconic words. I looked up at my producer across the table and I was, like, 'Yep, here we are. We are making Terminator.' That was really cool and I think it wouldn't have been the same without him."

Jai, you also share scenes with Korean star Lee Byung Hun, who plays the new T-1000.

"He is a talented guy and I am fascinated with the work he did. His role demanded so much of him physically and it's challenging. He didn't have the most lines to say and he certainly had a very tough job. He is fantastic in the film."

Your roles in this follow-up are very physically challenging. How did you prepare for it?

Clarke: "We had many big, big sequences so we had to be very exact and precise about things. There's a scene where we were running away from being hit, and there's a big truck coming, with a massive explosion at the back and more. It's a very expensive shot, which took five to six hours to set up and I had to do it right. Otherwise, it would have taken another five to six hours. That's where it gets really pressurising, because I don't really want to hurt myself, it's a one-shot, and at the same time, I don't want to **** it up."

Courtney: "For me, getting ripped was probably the toughest. I discussed with the producers and we wanted a physique that was very slim, a little malnourished in a way. Fortunately, I am fairly athletic. I dropped (9kg) over the course of a month or two. That sucked for me as my body wants to grow naturally. To try and be slim was hard. I spent a lot of time walking uphill on the treadmill and eating more salmon than I thought was possible."

And Jai, you have a nude scene when you travel back to the past?

"When you time travel, you can't take foreign objects with you. Clothing is not essential. You don't want to turn a nude scene into something offensive. We all have great respect for each other. Everyone is sensitive to it.

We have an assistant director on set - every time someone has to take his clothes off, he'll do it as well as a form of support. That was fun. None of the stuff in our film is gratuitous, it's all plot-driven and essential for the story."

Do you feel any pressure, given that there are so many fans of the franchise?

Clarke: "It's there, I guess, but I don't have the pressure, no. The script is either good or bad. It's either on the page and I can do something with it or it's not. I hope people like it, it's too late now to worry."

Courtney: "I don't think you can set out to make a movie with the intention of pleasing everyone.

There are always going to be fans of franchise films who are sceptical, but the hope and the challenge is that we win them over in the end."

Jason, your star has been rising and you're getting meatier roles in bigger movies, with Genisys sandwiched between Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and the upcoming Everest. It's almost like you're a late bloomer. How do you feel about your career trajectory?

"I feel good. It's nice to know you have a career and you can make a living, raise a family, have a good life. I'm pretty happy at the moment. I am finding that balance between big fun action films and smaller nice romantic dramas."