In the mid 80’s, the bodybuilder turned actor Arnold Schwarzenegger played number of action heroic characters. He ruled the decade and featured in a total of 10 movies, including Terminator, Predator and Commando, which are still his most iconic movies to date.
But when he landed the role of Douglas Quaid in Total Recall, it proved to be a game changer for the actor. It launched him to superstardom.
The film is placed as one of the best sci-fi movies ever made. And much of its credit should go for its fierce lines. But there was that one famous line that filmmakers had to change because they found it too cruel.
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Chilling Death Scene Prompted Script Changes
Total Recall revolves around the story of Douglas Quaid (Arnold Schwarzenegger), a construction worker on Earth in 2084 who dreams of visiting Mars. He visits Rekall, a company that implants false memories for a virtual Mars experience.
He is married to Lori (Sharon Stone), who works for Vilos Cohaagen (the main antagonist). The twist is Lori is tasked to watch over Douglas Quaid by posing as his wife. Quaid discovers that his life is a fabricated memory, and those who implanted it want him dead.
In the movie, there comes a scene when Lori is about to kill Melina, but Quaid shoots her dagger off her hand. Lori says, “Doug, honey… you wouldn’t hurt me, would you, sweetheart? Sweetheart, be reasonable. After all, we’re married!” That’s when Lori goes for her gun, Quaid shoots her in the head and says, “Consider that a divorce!”
This became an iconic line, but nobody knew that it was something else initially. According to writer Dan O’Bannon in the original script, Quid says, “Consider this a divorce,” and then shoots Lori. This was ultimately changed to what appears on film because O’Bannon and others thought it was a bit too cruel.
“Consider that a divorce” is the Top Line Fans Still Quote to This Day
The Austrian Oak is known for boldly delivering the cheesy one-liners. It doesn’t matter how bad those lines are, he always nailed them. And one of his best moments comes when Quaid faces his deceitful wife in Total Recall.
No doubt, this movie dives into its crazy plot, crafting a wild, entertaining adventure. Packed with memorable lines, “Consider that a divorce” is the top quote from the 1990 flick that fans still quote to this day.
Lori is a loving wife who is later revealed as a spy for Cohaagen. Quaid shoots her dead and delivers a perfect top liner—totally a killer kiss-off. This scene (as a whole) proved to be a stroke of luck for the actress, too.
When Quaid blows Lori away with the iconic line, “Consider that a divorce.” “The face of Sharon Stone goes from diabolical evil to the most sweet and lovely expression as possible,” Verhoeven said (via The Ringer). “That transition for me was so notable.” Thus, this led him to cast her in Basic Instinct.
