Arnold Schwarzenegger Insured His Eyebrows Out Of Fear While Filming 'The Terminator'

Mar 10, 2023

Arnold Schwarzenegger, one of Hollywood's most popular action stars, may be used to dangerous stunts, but he feared filming an action scene in "The Terminator" in the 1980s. So, he got insurance coverage just for his eyebrows. 

"The Terminator" catapulted Schwarzenegger to Hollywood stardom, but he initially hesitated to play the role. In a 2015 interview with Howard Stern, the action star said that he was offered to play the killing machine after hours of talk with director James Cameron. Schwarzenegger, who was enthusiastic about robots or cyborgs, had several notes about the character, but he really was vying for the role of Kyle Reese. 

Born in Austria two years after World War II, the former bodybuilder with the body of a Greek god, who won Mr. Olympia three times, started acting in the 1970s. He moved to the U.S. in his early ‘20s to continue training as a bodybuilder but eventually ended up doing movies.

However, it took him over 10 years to build his Hollywood profile because of his unusual family name and accent. In 1982, Schwarzenegger finally got his big break for starring in the epic film "Conan the Barbarian." While the movie became a box office hit, Schwarzenegger told Stern that his character didn't have a lot of lines, so he felt a lot less like a lead star.

Schwarzenegger wanted a chance to perform and display his acting prowess in "The Terminator." However, Cameron was so impressed by how much he understood the cyborg character. The decision to take on the role of the time-traveling killing machine proved to be the right one because it sealed Schwarzenegger's status as a sought-after Hollywood action star. 

However, while filming the movie, Schwarzenegger had Lloyds of London insure his eyebrows because he was afraid he would lose these forever or they won't grow back the same way. The actor was shooting the Tech Noir scene in "The Terminator," where his character lost his eyebrows because he had to go through a fire in a burning car. 

For the rest of the movie, Schwarzenegger had his eyebrows shaved off because his character didn't grow them back anymore. The subtle change in appearance made Schwarzenegger look a lot more threatening and less human, which was perfect for his cyborg character.

Despite the insurance, Schwarzenegger's eyebrows grew back properly, and "The Terminator" went on to become one of Hollywood's biggest franchises, spanning six films. Schwarzenegger led in the first three iterations and appeared via CGI or body double for the other installments. He returned to "Terminator: Genisys," albeit with a shorter screen time.

In 2014, Schwarzenegger acknowledged that his character's line, "I'll be back," has become one of the most famous catchphrases in movie history though he apparently fought with Cameron over it. Speaking with Digital Spy, Schwarzenegger revealed that he wanted to say "I will be back" because he was having a hard time saying "I'll," but Cameron insisted he sticks to the exact line.

"Then the movie came out, and people kept asking me to say the line," the actor said. "Then I knew that it was a special line and people appreciated it." 

Schwarzenegger loved the idea that "I'll be back" is repeated and re-quoted, especially on social media and even with the new generation of Terminator fans. 

Wasn't "The Terminator" such a brilliant sci-fi/action film? Were you a fan of the first movie? Did you think Arnold Schwarzenegger fit the role so well? Tells us what you think, and tell a friend about this story!