Arnold Schwarzenegger Was Hurt and Embarrassed by LAST ACTION HERO Failure and "Didn't Want to See Anyone for a Week"

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 1993 film Last Action Hero was quite an entertaining movie to watch, but it was a big box office bomb. Schwarzenegger was at the top of his game with this movie was made, but for some reason, there wasn’t an audience for it. Over the years the movie has actually gained more respect, and the actor previously shared that this is one of his most underrated movie roles.

As you might imagine, Schwarzenegger was not expecting the lackluster reception of the movie and when the movie ended up failing at the box office, he felt hurt and embarrassed. It was such a rough time for him that he didn’t want to see anyone for a week. In the recently released Netflix docuseries Arnold, the actor said:

“I cannot tell you how upset I was. 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. And my mother-in-law also said this all the time: ‘Let’s just move forward.’ It’s a great message.”

Schwarzenegger also went on to say: “When Last Action Hero came out I had reached my peak after Terminator 2, having the most successful movie of the year worldwide.”

Terminator director James Cameron talked about his first conversation with Schwarzenegger after Last Action Hero opened in theaters, saying:

“He sounded like he was in bed crying. He took it as a deep blow to his brand. I think it really shook him… I said, ‘What are you gonna do?’ He said, ‘I’m just gonna hang out by myself.'” Cameron added, “That’s the only time I’ve ever heard him down.”

Yeah, I think a lot of us can relate to feeling hurt and embarrassed in some ways when it comes to trying and failing at something. I know I have! But, at the same time, this is Arnold Schwarzenegger, and he was always going to be fine. When regular people with no money try and fail at something, it hurts harder.

Last Action Hero was directed by John McTiernan, and it told the story of a young movie fan named Danny Madigan (Austin O'Brien) who is magically transported into the fictional world of his favorite action hero, Jack Slater (Schwarzenegger). As Danny navigates this fantastical world, he and Jack must team up to defeat the diabolical villain Benedict (Charles Dance) and prevent him from using a magical ticket to enter the real world.

If you haven’t watched that movie yet, you should check it out!