Actor Deep Focus: Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s career has spanned beginning with bodybuilding films in the 1970’s and grew to action greats like The Terminator franchise.
Schwarzenegger rose to fame in Hollywood with the release of Pumping Iron, a bodybuilding documentary about his title of Mr. Universe, but he got into the show business shortly afterward.
The 1980’s saw some of Schwarzenegger’s best films with The Terminator, his most famous role, released in 1984. Schwarzenegger plays the titular character who is sent to kill Sarah Connor’s unborn son, who will lead an uprising against an android company. Schwarzenegger’s stoic attitude, build, and iconic “I’ll be back” line made the film an instant action classic. Its success led to “Terminator 2: Judgment Day,” “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines,” “Terminator Salvation,” “Terminator Genisys” and “Terminator: Dark Place.”
Schwarzenegger has more action hits like “Conan the Barbarian,” “Commando” and “Predator.” His range means that even though the action genre might stay the same, he never truly plays the same character twice.
He joined the DC universe as Mr. Freeze in “Batman and Robin,” an odd movie from the franchise where Schwarzenegger plays the villain instead of the hero. Joining a franchise either boosts or kills a career, but even though the movie flopped, Schwarzenegger never slowed down.
So many people recognize Schwarzenegger as an action giant that comedies like “Kindergarten Cop” are forgotten about. “Kindergarten Cop” has Schwarzenegger playing yet again a bearer of the law, but he’s challenged when he has to go undercover as a kindergarten teacher as a part of his mission. Schwarzenegger’s build compared to tiny kindergarteners supports as comedic relief through an otherwise serious plot.
Schwarzenegger has also had some questionable and corny movies, like “Last Action Hero,” but his attitude is sure to bring a laugh to every audience member.
“I’ll be back” isn’t Schwarzenegger’s only iconic line. The King of One-Liners has dropped many memorable movie quotes in his thick Austrian accent, most memorably, “It’s not a tumor (Kindergarten Cop),” “Get to the chopper (Predator),” “Hasta la vista, baby (Terminator 2)” and “Get your ass to Mars (Total Recall).”
Schwarzenegger hasn’t stopped with bodybuilding and acting: he was the governor of California from 2003-2011 and a political activist; most recently, he released a video addressing the Russian people about the ongoing war in Ukraine.
In a motivational video, Schwarzenegger talked about how he hated having Plan Bs because it takes the thought away from Plan A. He said that he “made a full commitment that [he’s] going to go and be a bodybuilding champion… made a full commitment that [he’s] going to get in the show business.” This kind of mentality made Arnold Schwarzenegger a real Renaissance man in the industry.
Adrianna Gallucci is a first-year student majoring in journalism. To contact her, please email amg7989@psu.edu.
