Arnold Schwarzenegger is one of life’s doers, as he really does get things done. Undoubtedly, he brought life to his characters in movies like Terminator, Predator, Commando, and many more. Arnie’s first two films became such raging successes because nobody had seen anything like T1 and T2 before – all the credit goes to him.
Schwarzenegger’s bodybuilding victories included five Mr. Universe wins, and seven Mr. Olympia wins. Even though Schwarzenegger is known as the most muscular bodybuilder of all time, it doesn’t mean he has supernatural abilities (which are impossible ones).
But there was one person who was no different – Mark Lester, the director of Commando movie. In one of his interviews, he confessed that he once deluded himself into believing the bodybuilding icon had superhuman strength.
The Time When Mark Lester Thought Arnold Schwarzenegger Is a Superhuman
Arnold Schwarzenegger began filming Predator six months after Terminator‘s 1984 release. Influenced by Schwarzenegger’s stature, Mark Lester wanted Arnie to do just about anything in his movie Commando, where he wanted Schwarzenegger’s character to handle a wide range of impossible actions.
In the film, Schwarzenegger’s character was expected to perform superhuman feats, like lifting a 200-pound phone booth. Lester believed Schwarzenegger could actually do this. Recalling the moment in an interview, the director said:
“I think I was becoming delusional that he actually was that strong.”
When Lester asked him to lift the heavy phone booth, Schwarzenegger snapped the director and asked if he’s gone insane. This moment served as a reality check for Mark Lester. During a 2020 interview with Yahoo, Lester admitted:
“I thought he was the Terminator, and he kept having to say no.”
The high expectations of Lester force Arnie to remind him constantly that he is just a human.
Arnold Schwarzenegger Gone Too Far For Director Mark Lester
Being a peak-condition bodybuilder, Schwarzenegger recognized that his fans would spot the difference if he relied on a stunt double. Director Mark Lester said:
“He never believed that a stunt person could have a body like his, and then his fans would know it wasn’t his body.”
No doubt, the 45-day shoot was too demanding for Schwarzenegger. The director insisted he to perform all of John Matrix’s onscreen actions in real life — from lifting a 200-pound phone booth and holding a man off a cliff with one hand (which is not a cakewalk). Schwarzenegger pushed himself harder than ever before for the director, but he may have gone a bit too far.
Viewers can buy Commando on Amazon Prime and Disney+.
Source: MovieWeb
