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On the one hand, Jamie Lee Curtis and Arnold Schwarzenegger are an unlikely pair. On the other hand, their friendship makes perfect sense. Arnold is easily one of the most successful movie stars of his generation. Even when he's in a bad movie, he makes a ton of money and, more importantly, makes people happy. The same can be said for Jamie, who is not only one of the richest 'final girls' but she's also become a magnet for award-season films.
But it's not money or movie roles that have brought Jamie Lee Curtis and Arnold Schwarzenegger together, it's their profound respect for one another. Here's the truth about their relationship...
Why Arnold Schwarzenegger Didn't Want To Work With Jamie Lee Curtis On True Lies
Arnold Schwarzenegger initially wasn't thrilled with the idea of co-starring with Jamie Lee Curtis in 1994's True Lies; the James Cameron film where they first met. In an interview with Vulture, Jamie explained that the Predator star didn't think of her as an attractive leading woman in an action franchise. Mostly because he saw her the daughter of Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh, two of Hollywood's most acclaimed icons.
"[Arnold] only knew me as Tony Curtis’s daughter [and] needed to be convinced," Jamie Lee Curtis said to Vulture about how she was first hired for True Lies. "So they screen-tested a bunch of actresses. It ultimately came back to me."
Jamie Lee Curtis had no ill will for Arnold, who is one of the reasons it took so long for her to get the job.
"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 continued.
"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."
Soon after getting cast as Helen Tasker in the expensive action spy comedy, Jamie Lee Curtis showed Arnold and every other naysayer that she was far more than the daughter of Hollywood royalty. In fact, she and Arnold became fast friends, according to her interview with Vulture.
Inside Jamie Lee Curtis's Friendship With Arnold Schwarzenegger
Despite it taking two months for James Cameron and his True Lies team to offer Jamie Lee Curtis the co-starring role because of the Terminator, she and Arnold Schwarzenegger became fast friends. And not just friends for the course of production; they became lifelong friends. The Halloween star even became close with Arnold's now ex-wife, Maria Shriver.
While Jamie Lee Curtis and Arnold Schwarzenegger don't always hang out, it's clear they have great affection and respect for one another and cherish the moments they have together.
When asked to quickly sum up her feelings for Arnold Schwarzenegger during an interview with EW in 2015, Jamie simply said that he's "a great guy."
Much of this has to do with the fact that Arnold stuck his neck out for Jamie to be treated as his equal. During Jamie Lee Curtis's 2022 Walk of Fame ceremony, Arnold explained how he was irritated by those who called her a "supporting actress" in True Lies.
"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," Arnold said out front of the TCL Chinese Theater in Hollywood according to People.
"Because she wasn't supporting — she was the female lead. She was the star. She was starring with me."
In response, Jamie Lee Curtis said that she was originally just supposed to be seen as a supporting actor in the film. However, Arnold had the idea to put her name above the title alongside his.
"It was Arnold's idea. Arnold felt that I should be up there with him which was not part of my contract," Jamie Lee Curtis said to the crowd at her Walk of Fame event. "I think that says more about who Arnold Schwarzenegger is, a man whose life has been defined by that genre allowing me to be up there beside him."
Arnold Schwarzenegger is not afraid to publicly share just how much he loves and respects his True Lies co-star and friend.
"There are a lot of stars here in Hollywood that have maybe one hit or two hits, this woman has hits for more than four decades. Think about that," the former governor of California said during Jamie Lee Curits' Walk of Fame ceremony. "For more than four decades, one hit after the next, and it doesn’t matter what genre it is. If it's comedy, if it is a love story, if it’s an action movie, or whatever it is, she can do it. I’ve seen that firsthand."
The Expendables star capped it off by stating that Jamie Lee Curtis was the "most extraordinary actress" he has ever worked with.
So, will the two buddies ever work together again? Well, according to People, if Jamie Lee Curtis has it her way, they almost certainly will.