Arnold Schwarzenegger gave a great Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything) last January, and now he’s back (as promised) with a second AMA. He hasn’t been absent from Reddit for the whole year, of course. He’s dropped in to settle an argument and to record himself reciting his most famous movie lines.
In this week’s second AMA Schwarzenegger invited us to ask “crazy questions”, adding that he wasn’t promoting a movie but he would be auctioning off the chance to hang out with him in a tank as a fundraiser for After-School All-Stars. It’s the same charity for which he made that strange undercover video.
Below we’ve collected some of the most interesting things he revealed when he wasn’t sharing that he likes to paint and making hand-written notes for a Redditor’s grandma and a cancer survivor.
(Banner image via s_bukley / Shutterstock.com.)
Donal: Did the Predator ever make you sh*t yourself? It did for me when I was younger.
Arnold Schwarzenegger: “Not because of the predator. But during the shooting of the movie, I got really sick in Puerto Vallerta. I will spare you the details, but while I was on a run, the runs hit. I ran to the side of the road and some cars driving by got quite the show.”
6745408: “Did Andre the Giant really pick you up and carry you back to a table when you tried to pick up the cheque?
“Yes, he picked me up. But he set me on a car outside.”
truckingsoftware: Of all the things you are famous for, which are you most proud of? Which are you least proud of?
“I’m most proud that I was smart enough to immigrate to the greatest country in the world where I could accomplish all of my dreams. I’m least proud of the mistakes I made that caused my family pain and split us up.”
busterhead: I remember hearing that James Cameron did not originally want you for the role of the terminator. But then you guys went for lunch and he changed his mind. If this is true what did you say or do to convince him you were right for the role?
“Actually, the story is a little different. I wanted the role of Kyle Reese when we went to lunch. I did not want to be the Terminator. I didn’t think I had established myself yet enough as a hero to be a villain. When I started in Hollywood, all they offered was villains. So I wanted to really establish myself first. But I told Jim some of my ideas about how the Terminator should train (not looking while loading weapons, not blinking, no emotions. I said the guy had to train blindfolded.) The Terminator, by the way, at that time, was O.J. Simpson. Jim told me I had to do it. He was right.”
Wait, O.J. Simpson was almost The Terminator?
Continue reading to hear about a real fight Schwarzeneggar was in recently and the two times he nearly died on film sets.
_fellow_: Did you really mix your protein with whiskey sometimes like you said in a 1977 interview?
“No, I used schnapps. But yes, I did mix alcohol in to some of my protein drinks.”
ceedeez: So, you’re a big guy and an action movie star, but when was the last time you were in an actual physical confrontation? Not that you would promote violence or anything, but sh*t happens, right? Did you win the fight?
“A few months ago, I got rear-ended by this guy. He took off, and I chased him. I will admit I drove at a slightly excessive speed. I cut him off, and two guys jumped out of the car looking tough. But when they saw me, they just said, ‘Oh sh*t! The terminator!’ They were nice, and gave me their information.”
ken27238: Would you ever hang out with Snoop Lion if he asked?
“I think he is great. We’ve done a show together before, and he was hilarious.”
mcpetbri: What is nearest you have ever been to death?
“On The 6th Day, there was a scene where I hide underwater behind embryos. I did a rehearsal with goggles and everything went fine. But when we actually shot, I couldn’t see because the water was milky. So I ran out of air and went to the top and realized I didn’t know where to get out. I was trapped. Then a hand grabbed me and pulled me out. It was my stunt double, Billy Lucas. He’d been watching from below with a tank and goggles and realized I was in big, big trouble.
“On True Lies, you probably remember the horse scene. There was a shot where the horse had to stop at the edge of a building. They built a little ramp to give the horse longer to stop. But when they were measuring the new distance from the ramp to the camera, they dropped the arm of the camera on the horse’s nose, and it went crazy, spinning and rearing. There was no rail, and the ramp was only 4 feet wide. I realized it was a bad situation and I slid off the horse right away and a stunt man grabbed me. That one was really scary. If the horse stepped a foot the wrong way, we would have fallen 90 feet to a cement floor.
“These stories are why I will always love stunt people.”
The full AMA is available here and Schwarzenegger’s charity auction is here.
[Thanks to Edmond for the tip.]