After seeing Sharon Stone's performance as Lori in this movie, director Paul Verhoeven would cast her in the movie Basic Instinct (1992) due to her ability to play a character that could change from a timid charming sweetheart to a diabolical person and back again at a moment's notice. He also stated that this is the way Sharon Stone is in real life.
When Ronald Shusett and Dan O'Bannon first started working on the screenplay for this movie back in the 1970s, they realized that the movie would probably be too expensive and difficult to make (by the standards of special effects and budget at the time). They delayed working on the story and instead worked on an idea O'Bannon had about a space monster terrorizing a spaceship crew. This became Alien (1979).
Arnold Schwarzenegger noticed that Michael Ironside was constantly on the phone between takes. When he broached the subject with Ironside, he was told that he was phoning his sister and that she was currently suffering from cancer. Arnold immediately brought Michael to his trailer and they had an hour-long, three-way conversation with Ironside's sister about what exercises she should do and what kinds of foods she should be eating. Ironside has never forgotten Schwarzenegger's kindness and neither has his sister.
Arnold Schwarzenegger was originally considered to play the title role in RoboCop (1987), but problems with the costume caused the producers to drop the idea. After Schwarzenegger saw 'RoboCop,' he said that he loved the movie and wanted to work with director Paul Verhoeven in the future. The feeling was mutual, but Verhoeven was already in talks to direct Black Rain (1989). While that movie got delayed in pre-production, Schwarzenegger had arranged to appear in Total Recall for Carolco, and pushed producer Mario Kassar to hire Verhoeven as director. Verhoeven said that is was only Schwarzenegger's enthusiasm for the project that convinced him to pass on Black Rain and do Total Recall instead.
Arnold Schwarzenegger was so impressed by how much dedication Sharon Stone had in training for her character role that he even referred to her as the "Female Terminator." She was inducted into the Stunt Woman Association as an honorary member.