Arnold Schwarzenegger is considered an icon of action cinema. He didn’t actually want to say his most famous line as the Terminator this way. It even led to a heated discussion with director James Cameron.
Which line are we talking about? When you think of Arnold Schwarzenegger, you probably think of one of the characters he portrayed on screen. The MeinMMO community voted in a poll on which of his movies are the best. Among them, of course: The Terminator and its iconic quotes.
“Hasta la vista, baby,” for example, which Schwarzenegger said in Terminator 2. But his most legendary quote undoubtedly comes from the first part.
“I’ll be back,” which translates to: “Ich komme wieder.” Schwarzenegger says this line to a police officer who denies him entry at the station and asks him to leave. Afterwards, the Terminator leaves the building but returns just a few moments later. With a car, right into the house.
Today, Schwarzenegger is often associated with this line. However, the actor initially resisted saying it in front of the camera.
Originally, the line was supposed to be different
What was the problem? Originally, the screenplay by director James Cameron called for a different version of the line. It said: “I’ll come back.”
However, Schwarzenegger found the syllable “I’ll” silly and felt uncomfortable saying it. This led to a discussion with Cameron about it. Schwarzenegger believed it would be better to say: “I will be back.”
Cameron was not pleased. He asked: “Are you now the screenwriter? It’s just one word. Don’t tell me how to write. I won’t tell you how to act.”
Schwarzenegger responded quickly, stating that Cameron was indeed instructing him on how to act.
The actor once tricked his greatest rival into making a really bad movie.
How was the situation resolved? In the end, the two agreed to try several variations of the line. Cameron said: “Arnold, you think it sounds funny. But it doesn’t. The great thing is that you sound completely different than I do. That’s what works.”
Possibly, Cameron was referring to the actor’s Austrian accent. The director let the camera roll, and Schwarzenegger said the line “I’ll be back” about ten times in different ways.
From that, they chose the best – the version we know today and which has been quoted and reused countless times over the years.
After the film’s release, Schwarzenegger himself was surprised at how much the line resonated with the audience. According to him, he was often approached by fans and asked to repeat the line. Schwarzenegger turned down the lead role in one of the best action movies and still regrets it today.
