In Terminator Salvation, the characters played by both Bryce Dallas Howard and Anton Yelchin have very close connections to John Connor, being his partner and (future) father respectively. The actors tell Roll Credits what it's like to have the future resting on your shoulders.

"I think it's getting ahead of ourselves to talk about future films." Anton Yelchin
"But Oh God, we really want to!" Bryce Dallas Howard

Anton, how did this compare to being on the bridge of JJ Abrams' Enterprise as Chekov?

ANTON YELCHIN It's very different. They're both kind of really incredible to be a part of and experience and to be on the sets is just insane. They're both iconic franchises but two totally different moods and philosophies, really. So, it was pretty wonderful to go from one universe into a totally different universe. Even though they're both science fiction, the two of these couldn't be more different in tone, in understanding of the world they describe.

Were you both fans of the franchise?

YELCHIN I wasn't around in '84 when the first one came out. I was actually a huge fan. I think I saw them way too early. I saw T-2. It came out in '91 or '92. I probably saw it on TV a couple of years after that so I was four or five when I saw it and I was so into it. I was obsessed with it and I saw T-1 shortly after. I made my parents rent it. I was obsessed. I even re-enacted the final scene from T-1 in elementary school. I tried to get this girl to say 'die, fuckin' robot' or whatever [Linda Hamilton] said. [laughter] And she was like 'no. I'm not saying that'. 'It's Terminator. You've gotta do it. You can't mess around with the movie'. So, I was obsessed. I didn't have a t-shirt either but I had all the action figures. I had a Terminator factory that made gelatin Terminators. They put one out and I had it. At some point I had a model that I got at Universal Citywalk. That was a big deal. So, yeah, I loved it.

BRYCE DALLAS HOWARD No action figures or models or goo factories but I also always watched this franchise and like Common was saying, I'm sure we all thought that this is such an incredible moment to appreciate the franchise and be a fan of it and then to know that you're going to be a part of the next film and sit down and watch it all again. It was a defining, awesome, exhilarating moment for sure.

When you sign on for a movie like this, you're probably prepared for a lot of green screen and effects like that. Were you surprised at how many things were done practically on set?

YELCHIN We did some green screen but very little.

HOWARD I think you feel it. Cinematically, I think audiences are really thoroughly adept at realizing if something is being technologically manipulated. I think McG has a good sense of that and made a really wise choice in trying to build as many things as possible. For me, there was just unbelievable stuff on set. I'm just going 'oh, it's just all here! Oh God. Look there! It's the apocalypse! [laughter] which is fantastic.

There were lots of action sequences and some intense stuntwork. Were there any mishaps?

YELCHIN Mark [Michael Meinardus] he was basically like the guy from Tropic Thunder that blows everything up. He was there every day on crutches. I fell off of a truck we were shooting on. I was latched onto the truck and there was this part where I'd start to pull off and I kept pulling farther and farther and farther and then one time I just didn't come back. I fell off and was hanging upside down. was just hanging there and I'm like 'Shit, I need to get back on...now!' I got back on and everyone stopped and was screaming and the best part was that Sam [Worthington] was laughing. I'm like 'why are you laughing?'

You think it's safe but it's not safe to run around with things exploding around you or run around on a moving vehicle. It's just not safe. They'd leave the more dangerous stuff for the stunt guys. Logan Holiday, who was my stunt double, he got on the back of the two truck and the cable got caught on a car or something and it snapped and hit him in the arm and he had this huge scar on his arm. We got a call on set, 'Logan's in the hospital along with the 2nd Unit DP'. You know, it's a Terminator movie.

Bryce, just to clarify, was your character the same as Claire Danes' character in Terminator: Rise of the Machines?

HOWARD Yeah. Kate Brewster is now Kate Connor.

The previous films are now being called 'the first trilogy'. Are you guys all signed for more films?

YELCHIN I think it's getting ahead of ourselves to talk about future films.

But you would like to?

HOWARD Oh God, we really want to! I think the reason why it hasn't come up for us is because we don't want to have hubris because the movie hasn't come out yet and we don't know what the response is going to be like.

What was it like working with Christian? He's such an intense actor.

HOWARD I understand the word intense but I've thought a little bit about it and intense usually implies intimidation and he's not an intimidating guy. He's just incredibly focused and methodical and dedicated. There's no standoffishness. He reminds me of my grandfather actually, a very grounded, a very genuine gentleman, yeah.

Anton, how did you and Christian get your heads around the fact that you are his future father? Your character doesn't know that but you, as an actor do. Did you just have to shove that knowledge aside?

YELCHIN [Director] McG and I talked about it before we started shooting. Obviously, Kyle Reese doesn't know so it's not essential to his understanding of the universe he inhabits. It was an interesting moment to play when Kyle Reese sees Connor and Connor sees Kyle Reese. Obviously, Connor's going 'Oh my God, this is my father' and Kyle is going 'I don't know who the hell this guy is'! But there has to be some kind of emotional/spiritual connection between these two people so that was a kind of fascinating, interesting moment to play. It was interesting to find that beat of some sort of vague recognition of something. Also, Kyle has heard his voice on the radio and he knows about John Connor but he doesn't know he is John Connor at that moment so I just kind of put it out of my mind to just focus on other things.

Is it a different process for you to be playing a character who has been played before, as you've now done here and in Star Trek, versus creating a new character?