Arnold Schwarzenegger’s iconic combat film Commando (1985) significantly boosted the actor’s career, surpassing the silent, almost nonverbal roles he was compelled to play in his early days. The idea appealed to Schwarzenegger because it offered him the opportunity to play an ordinary, regular man. The unlikely character John Matrix, played by Austrian Oak, was a former special forces fighter who now spends all of his time caring for his daughter Jenny (Alyssa Milano), eating ice cream, and feeding the neighborhood deer.
But the famous The Terminator star, who later became a politician, once shocked his fans by disclosing an intriguing behind-the-scenes account from Commando. In an explosive post on Reddit, Schwarzenegger disclosed the most ridiculously stupid scene that he was not allowed to film, likely due to safety concerns. The script did not call for the absurd scene in which the actor wanted to “kill” the man by chopping off his arm.
The Most Absurdly Stupid Commando Scene Arnold Schwarzenegger Was not Permitted to Film
Arnold Schwarzenegger talked nostalgically about his time spent on the Commando set during a spirited online Reddit Q&A session with his fans. A Reddit user brought up the actor’s 1985 film during the discussion of the Terminator: Dark Fate trailer, asking if the crew and cast were aware of the film’s humorous elements. While jokes and chuckles abounded, the actor introduced an exciting scene that, sadly, was cut from the final version. The actor replied,
“As soon as I carried a thousand pound log with one arm I knew it was funny. But let me share the scenes you didn’t see that I tried to get in.”
Although it was not in the script, he disclosed that he wanted to kill a guy by chopping off his arm. To further add:
“I wanted to cut off a guy’s arm and kill him with it. This wasn’t in the script. He would throw a knife at me and after he missed, while his arm was still extended, I chop it off at the shoulder with a machete and beat him to death with it. Needless to say, I was asked by the head of the studio, Larry Gordon to come to his office. And he said ‘what the f*** is the matter with you? Do you want to make money with this movie or an x-rated movie?’ I said ‘you’re right’ and he said ‘get the f*** out of my office’.”
Mark L. Lester directed Joel Silver’s 1985 production of the action thriller Commando. Alongside Rae Dawn Chong, Alyssa Milano, Vernon Wells, Bill Duke, and Dan Hedaya, Schwarzenegger played the leading role.
Also read: After Arnold Schwarzenegger, His Son Reportedly in Talks With DC for Justice League Hero Role
The Director Explained Why Commando’s Love Scene Was Cut
Although by the mid-1980s Arnold Schwarzenegger was already a globally known figure, Commando’s release in 1985 marked the official start of Hollywood’s ‘Schwarzenegger era’ 38 years earlier. Mark Lester directed the action thriller film, which gave the Austrian bodybuilder his first leading role as John, which did not include him as a futuristic killer robot or a barbarian with a sword.
Rich in one-liners and extravagant action scenes, Commando established the standard for numerous action films. Lester mentioned to Yahoo Entertainment:
“Arnold was already a larger-than-life character, and the producer, Joel Silver, kept saying, ‘Remember, more ER, ER’, I said, ‘What’s that?’ And he said, ‘Exaggerated reality!’ It was a great, great shoot and a great movie.”
The scene in which John and Cindy (Rae Dawn Chong) would have shared an intimate moment on a flight to save the former’s daughter was abruptly canceled by 20th-century Fox executives and producers. The director stated that he had no reservations about having Chong and Schwarzenegger perform the scene. To quote him:
“They were afraid that Southern theaters and drive-ins wouldn’t play the film, because we had a Black woman and a white man.There was no real n*dity or anything; they were just going to be making out..”
The action scenes and humor in Commando won praise when it was released in 1985. The film turned a profit and was a box office success. The movie made $57.5 million against a $9 million budget. Despite losing to Back to the Future, it was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Special Effects.
You can rent Commando on Apple TV.
