James Cameron’s True Lies was a commercial triumph, amassing about $380 million worldwide and instantly getting crowned as a cult classic. But things on the set weren’t quite as jubilant with all the foot-stepping and almost toe-breaking going on. If only Arnold Schwarzenegger would’ve heeded the warning that the director left him in the form of a cute little annotation.
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The Epic Tango Scene in True Lies – What Went Wrong
It’s been three decades since the spy-action comedy written and helmed by Academy Award winner James Cameron made it to the big screens. Based on the 1991 French comedy, La Totale!, True Lies was a swift success with a star cast comprising Hollywood’s A-listers, including the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis, Bill Paxton, and Tia Carrere. And while the actors, for the most part, had a gala time on the set, there was one specific instance where Carrere nearly got her toe broken, courtesy of the retired professional bodybuilder. Ironically enough, the tango scene ended up earning a separate fanbase of its own.
Turns out, Cameron had already foreshadowed the disaster waiting to unfold, which is why he’d left The Terminator star a note in the script, warning him about his “most dangerous stunt.” “I sent him the script and in the margins, I put an arrow to the tango scene that said, ‘This is your most dangerous stunt,” the Canadian filmmaker told Yahoo! Entertainment in a 2019 interview. “I think he took that to heart because he did learn how to tango!”
Carrere, 56, then revealed that Cameron had indeed been right about the risk involved in the stunt because Schwarzenegger “did step on [her] toes” while performing the pas de deux. “It would have been dangerous if I had broken my toes, I suppose, because that would have put us back 30 days in the production,” the former model remarked.
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Tango Still Turned Out to Be Iconic
While Cameron didn’t bet his money on his lead actor’s dancing skills, Arnold Schwarzenegger‘s co-star sang high praise of the Commando star’s (almost) spot-on delivery during their tango scene. Sure, there were times when the 75-year-old’s intermittent toe steps would pose a small hindrance every now and then, but he was still able to come through.
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“I think Arnold did an amazing job in the tango,” Carrere claimed. “He has great posture and that’s all you really need.” While professional tango isn’t nearly as simple as being equipped with good posture, what the actress meant was that her co-star’s overall performance was commendable. Especially since he had such a difficult time getting acquainted with the dance. In fact, the Predator star had taken dancing lessons and rehearsed the entire scene for six months straight to ensure that he didn’t botch it in the film. And sure enough, the tango scene turned out to be a blast. Schwarzenegger definitely gets an A for effort.
True Lies can be streamed on Amazon Prime Video.
Source: Yahoo! Entertainment
