For a long time in the film industry, especially during the Golden Era of action films in Hollywood, quite a few names stood out more than the rest. But the name of Arnold Schwarzenegger was in a league of its own as every film with the star as one of its cast was sure to attract crowds worldwide. Therefore, it’s no surprise that every major film production looked at him with potential.
With so many good scripts being sent his way for his consideration, it became integral to the decision-making process that he became convinced of it to the greatest extent. Thus, when Don Simpson approached him for a role in his then-upcoming action film The Rock, the star declined the offers the script wasn’t even fully ready yet, and thus, unconvincing.
Arnold Schwarzenegger Declined To Star In The Rock As Producer Wasn’t Ready With The Script.
Making a stellar reputation in the film industry requires the star to go above and beyond in front of the camera and make their performance felt. What also matters is the type of star you want to be, which necessitates picking the right roles in the right films to create your image. For Arnold Schwarzenegger, his choices of action films were his golden ticket to Hollywood success.
This also meant that his demand in the industry would rise rapidly with his career’s growth, which was the reason he had to stay extra vigilant with the roles he took.
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In a past interview with Empire (via GeekTyrant), the Conan The Barbarian star opened up about his experience with producer Don Simpson when he approached him for The Rock. he said that when the producer approached him, he was really high and had just entered into his trailer to talk with him about the film with 85 pages of the script in hand.
Simpson didn’t want Schwarzenegger to read the script there, he just wanted him to listen to the premise, which was not at all creating trust for the star in the director’s idea. He said:
“He says, ‘Here, look at this script. But don’t read it! Just, here’s what the premise is. He was all over the place,’ I said, ‘Look, Don. I can’t make a commitment based on what you’re showing me here. You won’t even let me read the script! Why don’t you bake it some more, develop it some more then we’ll talk again.’ He was very upset. He just walked out and then went to Nicolas Cage with the part.”
His rejection of the film proved to be a boon for Nicolas Cage, who added yet another blockbuster to his name after the film was released.
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What Was The Rock About?
Widely regarded as a Michael Bay masterpiece, The Rock was one of the biggest action blockbusters of its time, earning a whopping $335 Million at the box office.
The film tells the tale of Gen. Francis X. Hummel, who has taken Alcatraz as his hostage with the threat of chemical weapons, and now demands $100 Million in compensation for the families of servicemen who died for the country. Thus, to stop him from committing mass murder and destabilizing the United States, FBI chemical warfare expert Stanley Goodspeed and former British spy John Patrick Mason are deployed to the location.
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The Rock, available on Apple TV.
