Under-covers
agent Arnie
terminates
wife Sharon Stone
inTotal Recall
with the line
“consider that
a divorce”.His role as Mr
Freeze helped
leave Arnold out
in the cold.78 APRIL 2016
Schwarzenegger: I argued with
Jim Cameron about whether I
should say, “ I w ill b e back ”, as i t
sounded stronger, more machine-
like. He said, “I wrote it and it’s ‘I’ll
b e back ’, so do me a favour and
jus t say i t .” We argued ab ou t i t bu t
I didn’t understand why that would
be an interesting line at all.
In the final six years of the
Eighties, Schwarzenegger
consolidated his position with a
series of hugely successful action
movies including Commando,
Predator and Red Heat. In 1990,
having missed out on the lead in
1987’s RoboCop, he teamed up
with that film’s director, Paul
Verhoeven, for the Philip K. Dick
adaptation Total Recall.
Mark L. Lester (director of
Commando): Going around with
Arnold and hanging out with him
before the script was finished, I
thought, “Wow, he’s really funny,
but no one’s utilised that”. He
already had it in him, but I brought it
ou t , that he c ould b e sy mpathetic ,
and that went on to b e his p er sona
for many movies.
Paul Verhoeven: Arnold’s
confidence is not surprising if you
consider what he’s accomplished.
McTiernan:To be rejected so
soundly. It kind of broke his heart.Schwarzenegger (on playingMr
Freeze):Idon’tregretitatall.Ifelt
that the character was interesting
and two movies before that one
Joel Schumacher was at his
height. So the decision-making
processwasnotoff.Inmost
casesIdon’tregretthemovies
that failed or were not as good. It’s
always easy to be smug in
hindsight, right?Schwarzenegger’s decade-long hot streak
came to an abrupt halt with the release
of John McTiernan’s uberflop The Last
Action Hero. It proved the limitations
of even Arnie’s popularity and ushered
in a decade of indifferent movies that
performed badly and received critical
kickings galore. Whether Patrick
Stewart or Anthony Hopkins, both
considered for the role of Mr Freeze in
Joel Schumacher’s disastrous Batman &
Robin, have ever bought Schwarzenegger
a drink to say thanks is not known.
BECOMING
EXPENDABLE
(1993-2003)Kevin Pollak (co-star inEnd of
Days):Istartedtorealisethathe
really is to the cinema, to
Americans, our Superman. In the
sense that when you meet him
and talk with him initially, it feels
like you’re interacting with an
action figure, not someone human
or real. But he is also very aware of
and comfortable being sort of a
touristattractiononanysetthathe
works on. When friends and family
of anyone visit, he’s quick to pose
forapicture,verygregariousand
friendly in that regard.Roger Spottiswoode (director
ofThe 6th Day):Hehasapublic
personathat’snotquitewhathe
is.Iknowhehasamachoimage,
but he spends time playing chess
–andhe’sverygoodatit.Yes,he
isTheGuy,buthealsothinksalot
more than he lets on.ACT 2.1
LIFT LIKE
AN OLD
ACTION
HERO
You may not have Arnie’s
pedigree, but you can use
his example to age strongKeep pumping iron
But don’t try to train the same way
you did in your prime. Warm up for
longer, pay attention to aches and
pains, and try doing three sets of
30 reps using lighter weights.The running man
These days, Arnie stays fit with
cardio, not metal. Your metabolism
slows with age, making it all the
more vital. Aim for four 45-minute
sessions a week, mixing cycling,
hill walks and indoor rowing.Hungry for success
Arnie did once say, “Milk is for
babies. When you grow up, you
have to drink beer.” His other, more
relevant tip: “If it jiggles, it’s fat.”
So if you don’t want your body
to wobble, make sure your food
doesn’t either.After all, he did what seemed
impossible. He was not a logical
choice for fame. But Arnold’s drive
and his charm made him different.
It made him a star.Sharon Stone (co-star in Total
Recall): I remember a scene we
shot where I had on a little
nightgown and he was supposed
to be nude. He had on tiny little
underpants. He was so shy, it was
adorable – there was a tremendous
vulnerability.John McTiernan (director of
Predator): I like Arnold, I’ve always
liked him. H e’s as s trong as he
looks. He’s as strong mentally as he
looks physically. I wasn’t tempted to
somehow make fun of him.Hamilton: I can’t honestly say,
hand on hear t , that A r no ld is a
wonderful actor. Yet he knows how
to use his persona well and
smartly. And when it comes to
merchandising and marketing you
can’t argue with him. He’s also a lot
braver than people imagine. He
had this wonderful moment where
he smiled at J ohn (Ed ward
Furlong) in Terminator 2. The
rushes were hysterical. But Arnold
went for it and I really appreciated
the dedication.PHOTOGRAPHY: SPLASH NEWS, HEADPRESS