Widely considered to be one of the most prolific action stars of his time, Arnold Schwarzenegger has been in more action films than we can count. But along the way, he also diversified his career into other genres like drama and comedy, and in both places, he found relatively tremendous success.
And when it came time to combine his most successful genres of films, he had no hesitations to sign up for it, especially when the man helming the project was none other than James Cameron himself. But while shooting this film, titled True Lies, the filmmaker was terrified since they were on a tight schedule, and thus, had to remove an entire action sequence that was inspired by the 007 franchise.
Arnold Schwarzenegger Wasn’t Able To Perform James Bond Like Action For James Cameron’s True Lies
In the film industry, there exists action in films, and a level above it lies action performed in Arnold Schwarzenegger‘s films. Some of the most adrenaline-pumping and testosterone-filled action sequences known to mankind have been part of the star’s action movies in the past, but he has never been part of the 007 franchise, which has never given him a chance to perform the more suave and smooth yet high stakes action scenes that it’s known for.
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But in the past, he did have a chance at giving it a go when he reunited with James Cameron for their spy/comedy film True Lies. The movie was one of the best-received films in the Commando star’s career along with a $378 Million box office collection. The film featured a lot of inspired scenes from the iconic 007 franchise.
In the long list of subtle parodies, there was also an action sequence that was lined up for the shoot, which had to be entirely scrapped because the production was strapped for time, which was terrifying for the director since they were already behind schedule. In a past episode of Variety‘s show Directors on Directors, he opened up about this sequence, saying:
“Sometimes compromises lead to something that actually works. When we were making True Lies, we had this elaborate setpiece that was going to take place up in these snowy mountains. There was skiing and a crashed helicopter. [Arnold Schwarzenegger] winds up skiing a helicopter on its skids down the mountain — a big James Bond sequence. We shot one night in the mountains. I had this horrific image that we were going to be there for three weeks. We were already behind schedule. At that point, I knew we just wouldn’t hit our release date if we stayed there.”
Thus, what was once a one-of-a-kind opportunity slipped away from Schwarzenegger’s hands because of the priorities that the project had no option but to follow.
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What Was True Lies About?
Despite this film being a cheeky dig at the spy genre of films in the industry, True Lies had its own charm that made it a critical and commercial blockbuster.
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Schwarzenegger plays the role of Harry Tasker who seems like a boring salesman on the surface but is a covert operative, something that he has to keep a secret from his wife Helen. One day, he’s tasked to retrieve nuclear missiles from a terrorist named Aziz, who somehow finds out about Harry’s wife and kidnaps her. Now, he must embark on a quest to save the world and his depreciating marriage at the same time.
True Lies, streaming on Peacock.
