In the summer of 1993,Arnold Schwarzeneggerstarred inLast Action Hero, a film that Sony Pictures billed as “the next great summer action movie” ahead of its release. There was a reason for the confidence in both the actor and the film as it was his next movie following the incredible success of 1991’sTerminator 2: Judgment Day, which ended the year as the highest-grossing film of 1991 after grossing $520.8 million at the global box office. Schwarzenegger hadn’t experienced a true bomb in his career, and the summer of 1993 was supposed to be his chance to win again until it wasn’t.
Despite being considered a bit of an underrated cult classic now,Last Action Herowas met with disappointing reviews and box office, leading to a loss for Sony Pictures. It was a failure that the actor has recently revealed affected him greatly, but he would rebound a year later with another reteamwith director James Cameronin 1994’sTrue Lies. The movie gave Schwarzenegger back his box office crown by playing to his strengths, letting him do his best James Bond impression (in the best way), fusing action and comedy, and giving him a game partner in Jamie Lee Curtis, leading to a film that still holds up 30 years later as one of his very best films.
Last Action Hero
The intentions behindLast Action Hero, at least today,were a bit ahead of their time. Directed by John McTiernan, who scored withSchwarzenegger in the ‘80swithPredator, the film was intended to be a satire of the action films that made the actor a star. The actor starred as Jack Slater, a character within the series of Jack Slater action films adored by Danny Madigan (Austin O’Brien), a young boy who uses the movies to escape his less-than-desirable life.
Thanks to a magic golden ticket, Danny is transported into the Slater universe of movies. Eventually, one of the film’s villains, Mr. Benedict (Charles Dance), is transported into the real world.The film is essentially metaand self-referential throughout, doing those two things before they became more commonplace, arguably with the release ofScreamin 1996. In many ways, it was ahead of its time, butbanking on Schwarzenegger’s name and popularity would not be enough to save the moviefrom its fair share of issues, with warning signs being evident before the film hit the big screen.
Last Action Hero Turned Into a Critical and Financial Disappointment
Last Action Herowent through a few hands, originally written by Zak Penn and Adam Leff beforeshifting to Shane Blackto rewrite a script that, oddly enough, was a sort of satire of the very action films that Black was known for writing. Even after Black did a rewrite, the screenplay went through several script doctors, resulting in a final cut that felt tonally inconsistent when it was finally released.
Was it made for kids? Was it made for adults? Was it a meta attack on Hollywood? Because it tried to be so many things at once, it ultimately didn’t succeed at anything for moviegoers. Adding to its dilemmas, it was released a week afterJurassic Park, a film that dominated the summer of 1993 and left everything in its wake.The end result forLast Action Herowas lackluster reviews(registering a 40% rotten rating on Rotten Tomatoes) and underperforming at the box office, grossing $137.3 million worldwide on an $85 million budget. The loss on the film was a reported $26 million, a blow for Sony Pictures but an even bigger blow against Schwarzenegger’s ego.
Why Arnold Schwarzenegger Became James Cameron’s ‘Village Idiot’ While Filming True Lies
James Cameron revealed why he called Arnold Schwarzenegger ‘the village idiot’ on the set of True Lies film.
During a moment in Schwarzenegger’s Netflix docuseries,Arnold, the actor recalls the failure ofLast Action Heroand how it affected him at the time. Schwarzenegger said, “When Last Action Hero came out I had reached my peak afterTerminator 2, having the most successful movie of the year worldwide, I cannot tell you how upset that I was [about the negativeLast Action Heroreviews]. It hurts you. It hurts your feelings. It’s embarrassing. I didn’t want to see anyone for a week, but you keep plodding along.”
The actor’s attitude following the film’s poor performance isechoed by director James Cameron, who gave Arnold his first significant signature role in 1984’sThe Terminator. The director recalled speaking to Schwarzenegger the weekend after the film opened and said it was the first and only time he’d “ever heard him down.” Cameron went on to say, “He took it as a deep blow to his brand. I think it really shook him.”
Cameron and Schwarzenegger Teamed Up for True Lies
Perhaps it was hearing his buddy’s despondent nature that resulted in their third collaboration together.True Liesseems almost in linewithLast Action Heroin a sense because it plays around a bit with the conventions of action comedy and spy films while also presenting its situations in a way that is legitimate and top-notch. In the movie, based on the 1991 French comedyLa Totale, Schwarzenegger stars as Harry Tasker, a man working as a U.S. government agent while living the life of a family man with a wife and daughter. Harry is hiding his professional life from his wife, Helen (Jamie Lee Curtis), but that all gets compromised when Harry thinks Helen is having an affair because his secret job has kept him away from home. Due to a series of whacky events, Helen becomes involved in Harry’s world,leadingto great comedy and action, all wrapped into a polished package as only Cameron could present it.
True Liesallows Schwarzenegger to poke fun at his action persona a bit but also allows him to be convincingly debonair. IfLast Action Heroonly allowed him to be the butt of the joke,True Liesenabled him to get a laugh while looking refreshingly dapper in a suit.The role plays to the actor’s strengths, who is no stranger to scoring in comedies thanks to films likeTwinsandKindergarten Cop, while also showcasing that he was still one of thetop action starsworking at the time. The movie even allows the actor to channel his inner James Bond, a role he would never realistically land, butTrue Liesmakes a case that he could at least pull off the necessary swag as a spy and secret agent. When he engages in a sexy tango with Tia Carrere, the audience buys the smolder and believes he could woo theWayne’s Worldbombshell.
True Lies Is a Showcase of Schwarzenegger’s Comedic and Action Prowess
Despite showcasing some chemistry with Carrere in that moment,his true spark comes courtesy of Jamie Lee Curtis, whoshines in a rolethat has her beginning as a meek and mild working wife and mother before turning her into a sexy would-be spy herself. Much of the film’s humor comes from Harry having to keep this big secret from Helen while also suspecting she’s hiding a secret affair from him.
Since he feels that she’s lacking excitement in her life, which he believes has led her to commit adultery (she hasn’t), he creates a situation for Helen that allows her to go on her own secret mission, completely controlled by him. It’s a plot point from which the audience gets a lot of mileage, especially knowing it can only go hilariously wrong in the end. Ask any fan ofTrue Lies, and they’ll likely tell you that the most hilarious sequence sees Helen having to seduce someone she believes to be a mysterious stranger who turns out to be her husband. It’s a showcase of adept physical comedy for Curtis and only solidifies the strong comedic chemistry the duo possesses. Did audiences have Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis on their golden comedic supercouple bingo card? Likely not, but it works.
Exclusive: James Cameron Remembers Forcing Arnold Schwarzenegger to Cast Jamie Lee Curtis in True Lies
In this BTS clip, James Cameron says Arnold Schwarzenegger thought Curtis was too beautiful for the role.
True Liesis a perfect cocktail of many elements. It’s a fun action comedy with some exhilarating action sequences bolstered by a strong cast that is clearly having a good time. It’s also the most fun Cameron has had as a director, enjoying playing with the conventions of spy games while giving the'90s one of its best action films. Schwarzenegger and Cameron have never failed together when paired as actor and director. They have the secret sauce for success, which only seems fitting that this reunion made moviegoers and the industry as a wholeforget about the disappointment ofLast Action Hero.
WhenTrue Lieswas released on June 13, 2025, the film topped the box office with a gross of $25.8 million and became a huge hit by the end of its run. The movie ultimately grossed $146.2 million domestically and $378.8 million worldwide on a $115 million budget, becoming the third-highest-grossing film of 1994 in the process. Critics also responded favorably, with the film pulling in a 70% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.Roger Ebert’sreview of the movie at the time hit the nail on the head as to why the film succeeded, whereas maybeLast Action Herodidn’t.
“It’s the stuff that we go to Arnold Schwarzenegger movies for, and True Lies has a lot of it: laugh-out-loud moments when the violence is so cartoonish we don’t take it seriously, and yet are amazed at its inventiveness and audacity.”
Every actor or actress has successes and failures. That comes with changing viewing habits and not everything hitting in a way that they probably all hope. It’s all about recovering from the failures and plotting your next move. It was brilliant for Schwarzenegger to link up with Cameron again afterLast Action HeroonTrue Lies. With a single movie, the actor reminded audiences why he was one of the best to do it and that he still had what it took to entertain the masses.Last Action Herois streaming onPluto TV.True Liesis streaming onHulu.
