Arnold Schwarzenegger Says He Fought Against Saying "I'll Be Back" in TERMINATOR Because He Thought He Sounded Weird
Arnold Schwarzenegger has a number of iconic roles that have lent to a ton of catchphrases that have followed him decades later. His distinct Austrian accent makes him one of the most impersonated actors out there, and one of the lines that people most remember is from the Terminator films, in which his title character says the line, “I’ll be back.” But as it turns out, the actor asked his director, James Cameron, if he could change the line.
Schwarzenegger explained to THR:
Jim Cameron and I were debating how to say the line because I was not comfortable with saying “I’ll.” I said, “I think it’s stronger to say, ‘I will be back.’ ” Cameron said, “Are you the scriptwriter now? It’s just one word. Don’t tell me how to write. I don’t tell you how to act.” I said, “You tell me how to act every fucking minute! What are you talking about?!” So he says, “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. So just say it 10 times. Say it different ways. I’ll keep rolling the camera. Then we’ll choose one.” So they set it up, and I say: “(Flatly) I’ll be back … (cheerful) I’ll be back! … (guttural) I’ll beeee baaaack …” It sounded stupid.
But he went on to admit the line was right just the way it was, saying:
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. So that’s where it started and where it ended up. It’s wild. 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.” 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?
It’s obviously a great line, and Schwarzenegger has no reason to feel self-conscious about the way he says it. The actor has made a solid career out of his acting roles, accent and all, and the Terminator will always be one of his greatest roles.