Joel Schumacher’s Batman & Robin (1997) left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth, including George Clooney, but in a surprising revelation, Arnold Schwarzenegger was totally fine with it. The film survived the years for the wrong reasons, and it continues to appall viewers no matter the generation they come from.
It is understandable for an actor to regret a role they willingly took, especially if the deal sounded promising in the beginning but failed to make a good impression in the industry in general. But, for Schwarzenegger, his role as Victor Fries/Mr. Freeze in the said movie never made him cringe.
Arnold Schwarzenegger Has No Problem With Joel Schumacher’s Batman & Robin
In an interview with Empire, Terminator star Arnold Schwarzenegger claimed he does not regret starring in Joel Schumacher’s Batman & Robin despite it being heavily battered with criticism:
“I don’t regret it at all. I felt that the character was interesting, and two movies before that one, Joel Schumacher was at his height. So, the decision-making process was not off. At the same time, I was doing Eraser over there, and Warner Bros. begged me to do the movie.”
Schwarzenegger had no qualms about his parodic performance, and he believed in the director’s capability as he was a huge icon in the field during the mid-90s. The fact that the studio actually begged the actor to do the movie is an indication that they really wanted him for the project, having paid an astonishing $25 million to say yes to Mr. Freeze.
The actor explained why he never regretted the role or any movies he did in the past that did not perform well at the box office:
“When you’re me, you can never complain. Because with the ride I have taken in my life, from the time I came off the farm in Austria to here today and all the things that I’ve accomplished, I really cannot complain about anything. It’s life that you make wrong decisions as much as you make good decisions, and that you do great things, and that you also f—k up.”
That’s truly a different way of looking at things in a more positive light, after George Clooney, who played Batman/Bruce Wayne, lamented the franchise he “destroyed” and told Variety that he would never show the movie to his wife, Amal Clooney:
“When you destroy a franchise the way I did, usually they look the other way when The Flash comes by. There are certain films I just go, ‘I want my wife to have some respect for me.’”
Although Schumacher apologized for the movie several times, it seems that Clooney is still traumatized by its effect on his career at the time.
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Role In Batman & Robin Helped Grow His Career
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s career after Batman & Robin surprisingly took a great turn. His role as Mr. Freeze, in fact, built his movie persona as someone who appears larger than life with his exaggerated weapons and cheesy pun lines.
This reputation is further established as fans would remember him starring in 1985’s Commando, where he was frequently seen with lots of arms and ammunition and a 4-barreled blaster that promises nothing but destruction. Mr. Freeze’s use of cold puns also became Schwarzenegger’s signature move in every film he stars in.
Despite the performance of Batman & Robin, Schwarzenegger will never regret his own acting as he gives his best and takes every project seriously.
Batman & Robin is available to watch on Prime Video.
