“I think he thought of me as Tony’s little girl”: Arnold Schwarzenegger Hesitated to Kiss Jamie Lee Curtis Because of Her Famous Father
James Cameron directed True Lies had actors Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis as the protagonists Harry Tasker and Helen Tasker respectively. Actor Jamie Lee Curtis is the daughter of Hollywood royalties Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh.
According to the Trading Places actor, her co-star was quite apprehensive about working with her due to her superstar parents. During an interview with a noted media forum, Jamie Lee Curtis spoke about True Lies, her co-star Arnold Schwarzenegger, and his apprehensions about working with her.
Arnold Schwarzenegger Was Skeptical About Kissing His True Lies Co-star Jamie Lee Curtis
Terminator star Arnold Schwarzenegger was hesitant about working with Jamie Lee Curtis in True Lies. During an interview with the reputed media outlet Vulture, Jamie Lee Curtis revealed that her co-star needed some serious convincing for her to play the character of Helen Tasker in True Lies. The actor stated-
“[Arnold] only knew me as Tony Curtis’s daughter [and] needed to be convinced. So they screen-tested a bunch of actresses. It ultimately came back to me…I just think he knew me as Tony’s little girl. If you remember, Arnold Schwarzenegger directed a movie called Christmas in Connecticut, and who did it star? Tony F***ing Curtis.”
Jamie Lee Curtis further added that maybe Arnold Schwarzenegger could only see her as Tony Curtis’ daughter instead of an actor. She said-
“So Arnold loved my dad, and I think it might have been a little weird for him having to mack with Tony’s daughter. And I’m not a traditional beauty. I’m not a traditional leading woman. I think he thought maybe there was a better person out there. I give him a total pass for that. I agree with him. I probably would have done the same thing. But I ended up doing the part.”
Jamie Lee Curtis played the character of Helen Tasker in True Lies exceptionally well and proved that nobody could have done justice to the role of the talented spy alongside The Expendables actor. She even went on to win a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical and, a Saturn Award for Best Acting for the movie True Lies.
Arnold Schwarzenegger On His True Lies Co-star Jamie Lee Curtis
Arnold Schwarzenegger was not sure about Jamie Lee Curtis’ association with True Lies, and the actor not only gave her best shot but also went on to earn nominations and awards for her performance. The Collateral Damage star was present at the Jamie Lee Curtis’ 2022 Walk Of Fame ceremony. During an interview with the famous media platform People, Arnold Schwarzenegger openly criticized anyone who thought Jamie Lee Curtis was a supporting actor in True Lies. The actor stated-
“When you go online and you check out Jamie Lee Curtis, you can see all the wonderful things they’re saying about her. But there’s always one thing that really pisses me off, and that is when they say that she is a supporting actress in the movie True Lies. Because she wasn’t supporting — she was the female lead. She was the star. She was starring with me.”
Over the years, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis became great friends and even mutually respected each other. However, Jamie Lee Curtis was supposed to be the supporting actor, but Arnold Schwarzenegger requested that she should be at the top, alongside him in True Lies.
True Lies is currently available for streaming on HBO.
