Arnold Schwarzenegger might not be the best acting coach out there, but the seven-time Mr. Olympia winner certainly understands how to become a sought-after actor. It’s all down to his well-curated and disciplined approach to his movies which, across many decades, have primarily focused on maximizing the potential of his god-like physique.
In that regard, James Cameron showed he understood Schwarzenegger better than most filmmakers by handing him the defining franchise of his career, The Terminator. Cameron not only made the most out of the bodybuilder’s talents but also made him aware of how dietary habits may impact one’s performance on the set while filming.
What Arnold Schwarzenegger Does During Filming to Avoid Wasting Time and Energy
Arnold Schwarzenegger collaborated with James Cameron in the early 80s for The Terminator, which followed the story of a cyborg assassin from the future, who tries to find and kill Sarah Connor. Although the sci-fi action is all about Schwarzenegger’s impeccable physical presence, the bodybuilder-turned-actor’s catchphrase: “I’ll be back” set the tone for the franchise and still remains popular among his fans.
The success of the first installment paved the way for a number of Terminator movies, but Cameron stepped away from the director’s chair for the franchise after the second movie. However, the pair remained friends behind the scenes and even collaborated on other projects. Schwarzenegger has always taken time to praise the Titanic director’s filmmaking genius. But it seems Cameron also has made an impact on the actor’s dietary habits.
During an appearance on the Rich Roll podcast, the 76-year-old talked about his discussion with the acclaimed director about the importance of not eating lunch on a set.
Cameron told him that eating lunch when on a set doesn’t make people energetic. Rather it robs them of energy because of the whole digestion process. Schwarzenegger continued:
“He says that’s why he have French hours on a set which means you can eat throughout the day but there was no more lunch break because this is a waste of two hours of people’s performance.”
The True Lies star added that the director’s observations are absolutely right and he has experienced the same in his day-to-day life.
Why James Cameron Called Arnold Schwarzenegger a Sick Guy
While The Terminator highlighted the huge potential of Schwarzenegger’s presence on the big screen, the second installment, Terminator 2: Judgment Day made him a very likable assassin.
However, initially, Cameron and Schwarzenegger disagreed over the character of the cyborg. The former wanted him to become a good guy, and the latter was keen on doubling down on the violence and killing even more individuals. Schwarzenegger said (via IndieWire):
“He said ‘Arnold, stop it. You’re a very sick guy. I am gonna make sure that in Terminator 2, you’re not gonna kill one single person.’ I said that’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. How can this be Terminator 2 without me killing anyone? At least throw a few token bodies in there.”
Cameron’s idea prevailed and the decision worked wonders at the box office with the 1991 action movie grossing $519–520.9 million globally.
