STACK #129 Jul 2016

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FEATURE

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ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER

and allowed him to flex his comic muscle. “Schwarzenegger’s whole career is based on his ability to see the humour in apparently hard- boiled situations,” noted Roger Ebert. The actor’s flair for perceptive humour was given free reign in Twins (1988), Ivan Reitman’s high concept comedy that cast Arnie and diminutive Danny DeVito as the titular siblings. The film was a massive hit and Schwarzenegger, having waivered his salary for 20 per cent of the profits, pocketed more money than he had from his action films. The ‘90s “I am here to spend. I love to spend Hollywood’s money!” Arnie was instrumental in the success of Paul Vehoeven’s cerebral sci-fi thriller Total Recall (1990), and not just for his starring role as a guy who takes a virtual vacation to Mars. Having convinced producer Mario Kassar to acquire the script, he also brought Verhoeven onboard and suggested a more aggressive pre-release marketing campaign. “I was proud my interest and passion helped to bring about the movie,” he says. “But the experience also proves how important marketing is – how important it is to tell the people what this is about... and make them say, ‘I have to go see this movie.’” That same year he reunited with Ivan Reitman for Kindergarten Cop (1990), one of the first examples of an action hero starring with kids, and a personal favourite of the actor’s. Along with the desire to do another comedy, he’d recently become a father, so was immediately attracted to the story of a detective going undercover as a kindergarten teacher. Altogether now: “It’s not a toomah”. In 1984 he said “I’ll be back” and seven years later Arnie’s cyborg returned – this time as the good guy – in James Cameron’s mega- sequel Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991). “I always felt we should continue the story of The Terminator , I told Jim that night after we finished the first film,” Schwarzenegger recalls. In addition to his $15 million salary, Arnie also scored a $14 million Gulfstream plane from producer Mario Kassar, as a ‘thank you’ for accepting the role (as if they could have made it without him?). T2 remains his most successful film at the box office to date. The Last Action Hero (1993), a self-aware and extremely clever spoof of the action film genre and its clichés (and Arnie himself for that matter) is an underrated guilty pleasure. It was also incredibly expensive, slammed by critics and a colossal flop; opening a week after Jurassic Park , it didn’t stand a chance at the box office. As well as being Arnie’s first big bomb, it was also his first credit as a producer and first Razzie nomination for Worst Actor. Cameron and Arnie reunited for True Lies (1994), which had an even bigger budget than LAH – at over $100 million, it was the most expensive film at that time. It’s also Schwarzenegger’s second highest grossing film to date. Unfortunately, a rights dispute continues to stall the film’s Blu-ray release.

release and requiring some scenes to be cut. By 2003, Arnie was in need of another box office blockbuster – and got one by returning to his most iconic character in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003), pocketing a then record fee of $29.25 million. T3 was his last starring role prior to swapping acting for politics and becoming the Governor of California (or ‘The Governator’ as he was affectionately dubbed), although his last screen appearance before a six- year break would be a supporting role in Around theWorld in 80 Days (2004). The ‘10s “I’ll be back.” Arnie always said he’d be back, and in 2010 made an uncredited appearance in Sly Stallone’s veteran action star vehicle The Expendables as Trench Mauer – a role he would reprise in the two sequels (2012 and 2014). This was the first time Schwarzenegger and Stallone had appeared on screen together, and the pair reunited in 2013 for the prison break thriller Escape Plan . Last Stand (2013) provided a leading role not dissimilar to the one he played in Raw Deal – an LAPD officer turned sheriff of a border town under attack from a drug lord. This underrated action flick was a terrific return for Arnie, but not the box office success it should have been. A year later he was back battling a drug cartel in Sabotage (2014), which saw his star value plummet even further with the lowest opening weekend take ($5.3 million) for a Schwarzenegger film in over 30 years. Arnie now looks set to replenish his stocks in the biggest role since he returned from the governorship: Terminator Genisys (2015), which will be in cinemas everywhere by the time you read this. But will it knock T2 from the number one spot as the most successful Schwarzenegger film? You can also catch Arnie – as you’ve never seen him before – on DVD this month in Maggie (2015). As a grieving father whose young daughter has fallen victim to a zombie virus, he delivers the kind of dramatic and understated performance you don’t associate with the name Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The Twins team of Arnie, Danny DeVito and Ivan Reitman attempted to recapture the comedy gold of their 1988 hit with Junior (1994), and failed miserably. The concept of Arnold as a pregnant man proved to be as hilarious as it sounds. To prepare, Arnie reportedly hung out in obstetricians’ waiting rooms to study the behaviour of pregnant women – creepy! Roger Ebert, however, found a silver lining: “Observe his acting carefully in Junior and you’ll see skills that many serious actors could only envy.” Schwarzenegger briefly returned as the Terminator in 1996, for the Universal Studios attraction T2 3-D: Battle Across Time, and followed that with Eraser (1996), playing a US Marshal in the kind of action flick he used to make in the ‘80s. That same year, he also managed to star in a comedy worse than Junior – Jingle All theWay . Set to star in Fox’s Planet of the Apes remake, production delays saw him instead playing a dad determined to procure a sold-out action figure as a Christmas present for his son. The Terminator meets Santa Claus? Things couldn’t get any worse than JATW, could they? You better believe it! Arnie’s run of stinkers continued in 1997 when he was cast as Mr. Freeze in the universally maligned Bat- fiasco Batman & Robin (1997). Bald, blue and spewing bad puns, he nevertheless pocketed $20 million for six weeks work. Director Joel Schumacher reportedly stated he’d refuse to direct the film if Arnold wasn’t cast as Mr. Freeze – if only Arnie had said “no”. Arnie underwent heart surgery following Batman & Robin and found it hard to get work afterwards, as studio insurance companies were understandably nervous about him bouncing back into action. He finally did two years later, as an ex-cop battling Satan in the millennial occult- actioner End of Days (1999), which wasn’t the best comeback vehicle. The ‘00s “Staying on top of the hill is harder than climbing it.” The 6th Day (2000) was more traditional Schwarzenegger – a sci-fi adventure involving a cloning conspiracy which allowed him to play

multiple roles. But it was no Total Recall , and Arnie received three Razzie nominations, two of which went to his clone doubles. The Arnie we know and love was back (he said he would be) in Collateral Damage (2002), as an LA fireman avenging the death of his wife and son following a terrorist bombing. Originally set for release in October 2011, the events of 9/11 inflicted collateral damage on the film, delaying the

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