Arnold Schwarzenegger wasn’t sold on his most iconic line at first.
The action superstar recently told The Hollywood Reporter he wasn’t convinced “I’ll be back” from 1984’s “The Terminator” would work as it was written.
Schwarzenegger said he even discussed the line with director James Cameron before the scene was filmed.
“Jim Cameron and I were debating how to say the line because I was not comfortable saying ‘I’ll,’” he said.
He wanted to say fully “I will be back,” but Cameron wasn’t budging.
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“Are you the scriptwriter now? It’s just one word. Don’t tell me how to write. I don’ tell you how to act,” Schwarzenegger recalled his director saying. “Arnold, you think it sounds weird. It doesn’t. What makes it great is that you sound different than me or Charlie over there. That’s what makes it work.”
After seeing the movie’s premiere, Schwarzenegger saw how much the fans reacted to the line.
“The movie comes out. I’m in Central Park. This guy comes up and says, ‘Say the line!’ … Now, a few days ago, I was skiing in Aspen, and the concierge comes up asking me to say the line,” he said.
The “Twins” actor has no qualms with a good many people remembering him most for the line reading.
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“I’m the last one to get complicated and say, ‘I don’t want to compare myself to my movies or use a line from my movies,’” he said. “Hell, Clint Eastwood takes the clothes from his movies and that’s all he wears. So why would I be worried about using a line?”
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