Is there anyone at this moment who has not heard Arnold Schwarzenegger’s name? Certainly not. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a name synonymous with action-packed blockbusters and an enduring symbol of strength and resilience, has been a household name for decades.
However, once, director James Cameron was not convinced that a tribe in the Amazon would be among his fans. The Terminator star recalled a conversation he had with Cameron years back during a trip to the Amazon.
James Cameron Was Made to Eat His Words
In an interview to promote his limited edition TASCHEN picture book, Arnold Schwarzenegger revealed how Cameron, his “great friend” joined him in Brazil in 2011 for an international summit with indigenous leaders and environmental experts and got his ‘ego bruised’ by the tribe.
“As we were approaching this tribe in Amazon that he knew, [Cameron] says, ‘I just want you to know not to get your ego bruised because they, no one is gonna know who you are, that I can promise you.’ I said, ‘Well, thank you for warning me, but trust me, it’s not gonna bruise my ego, don’t worry about it.'”
But after landing, Schwarzenegger revealed that Cameron’s expectations were far off.
“Within a minute people were chanting: ‘Arnold, Arnold, Arnold, Arnold!’ And then they took me to a hut where they had actually a poster of mine inside that hut,” he added.
James Cameron was horrified. And he said, “Well, I must have been wrong for the first time in my life.”
Despite the initial intention of anonymity, the throngs of fans that gathered during their expedition underscored the enduring power of his influence.
Arnold Schwarzenegger Credited James Cameron for the Gathering of Fans Amidst the Wilderness
The unexpected crowd that gathered near their base camp reflected Arnold Schwarzenegger’s enormous influence all over the world. Although. James Cameron at first thought there would hardly be any Schwarzenegger fans there, later he saw how massive a star he was already globally.
Schwarzenegger gave Cameron credit for the tribe recognizing him when he got off the plane.
“It was some of his movies that they saw and I was in his movies, but no one expected them because there was no television set there,” he said. “So we don’t know really how they get their information and how they got to see those movies or anything like that. So, I was very happy to be that recognized all over the world.”
Schwarzenegger and Cameron, nevertheless, have always had a great partnership.
Source: CNN
