Arnold Schwarzenegger, an undisputed legend of action cinema, has had more than one near-death experience during his career. Since his rise in Hollywood following his days as a professional bodybuilder, he has starred in films such as Terminator and its aftermath, Predator and Total challengefacing scenes that challenge the limits of what is possible.
During a question and answer session on Reddit, Arnold Schwarzenegger shared two terrifying experiences on the set of The sixth day and Risky lies, in which he was close to dying. In The sixth daya 2000 science fiction film in which he plays a pilot with a helicopter rental business, Schwarzenegger He described one particularly dangerous scene: “There was a scene where I was hiding underwater behind embryos. In rehearsal everything went well with the goggles, but when we really shot, the water was milky and I couldn’t see,” Schwarzenegger said. «I was out of breath and I didn’t know how to get out. Then my double, Billy Lucas, got me out in time. He was watching from below and realized what a big problem he was in.
This anecdote highlights not only the dangers actors face while filming intense scenes, but also the vital importance of stuntmen. “That’s why I will always love specialists,” the actor emphasized. His stunt double’s quick intervention underscores how these professionals, trained to handle high-risk situations, are essential to on-set safety.
In Risky lies, from 1994 and directed by James Cameron, Schwarzenegger also found himself in a situation of extreme danger. “You probably remember the horse scene,” the actor commented. «The horse had to stop at the edge of a building, and they built a small ramp to give it more time. However, when measuring the new distance, they dropped the camera arm over the horse’s nose.
This incident caused the horse to go crazy, spinning and rearing dangerously. “There was no handrail and the ramp was narrow,” he recalled. «I realized the danger, I got off and a specialist caught me just in time. “If the horse had taken a wrong step, we would have fallen 27 meters to the cement floor.”
The life of Arnold Schwarzenegger, beyond the exciting action scenes on the big screen, has faced real dangers both on film sets and in operating rooms. During an interview at The Pump Clubthe famous actor shared an alarming incident that occurred in 2018 that almost cost him his life.
Schwarzenegger underwent his third heart surgery. However, this operation did not go as planned due to an error by the surgeons. «He was really affected. I woke up and saw the doctor standing in front of me. “Then he told me: ‘I’m so sorry, we planned a non-invasive surgery, but we made a mistake and we had to go through the wall of the heart,'” Schwarzenegger said.
During surgery, he suffered internal bleeding, forcing doctors to quickly change strategy. “We had to open you up to save your life,” the specialists explained.
