Acclaimed Hollywood filmmaker James Cameron, famous for his directorial prowess, is not typically synonymous with comedy. His candid, straightforward demeanor in interviews might amuse, yet his comedic ventures on-screen are few and far between. However, a surprising shift occurred when his long-time collaborator, Arnold Schwarzenegger, introduced a new concept in the early ’90s.
The visionary behind Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgment Day drew Cameron’s attention to the 1991 French spy comedy La Totale! (The Jackpot) as a potential adaptation. While diverging from Cameron’s conventional repertoire, the director swiftly honed his comedic acumen to embrace this unexpected challenge, as he shared with Yahoo! in 2019.
How did Arnold Schwarzenegger get James Cameron onboard for a comedy
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s premise, encapsulated in the question “Who would James Bond be if he got home and had to answer to his wife?” resonated with James Cameron’s creative sensibilities. The iconic actor envisioned a version of Bond in the form of husband and father Harry Tasker, a U.S. government agent juggling espionage with marriage.
Assembling a massive budget of $100 million for the 1994 film True Lies, Cameron found himself adept at orchestrating action-packed sequences but confronted a new territory in the realm of comedy.
Despite his stellar track record with blockbusters like Aliens, The Abyss, and the aforementioned Terminator series, Cameron’s comedic proficiency had not yet been unv eiled. The task at hand was to interlace the slapstick essence of the French original with the film’s frenetic action.
This transition from the intensity of Terminator 2 to the whimsy of True Lies solidified Cameron’s legendary status, as he adeptly navigated the uncharted waters of comedy without compromising his directorial prowess.
James Cameron revealed how he approached the realm of comedy
James Cameron divulged his approach in an interview with Yahoo!, revealing his endeavor to infuse humor into the project:
“I’d never done a comedy! So I came up with crazy stuff like him doing the tango with this exotic girl he meets at this mansion party. I sent [Arnold] the script, and in the margin I put an arrow next to the tango and wrote, ‘This is your most dangerous stunt.’ I think he took it to heart, because he did learn how to tango!”
The pivotal tango sequence, featuring Schwarzenegger’s Harry partnering with Tia Carrere’s Juno Skinner, seamlessly integrates elegance and humor into the narrative. While not uproariously funny, the juxtaposition of an action hero gracefully executing a tango imparted a dose of levity, accentuating the film’s multifaceted nature.
Prior to this, Schwarzenegger had ventured into lighter genres with Kindergarten Cop (1990) and Last Action Hero (1993), embodying a blend of charisma and gravitas. In contrast, Cameron’s comedic exposures had been fleeting; however, the shift from his signature action-thriller genre to the farcical realm of True Lies displayed his adaptable artistry.
Source: IMDb, Yahoo Entertainment
