Arnold Schwarzenegger hated Red Sonja so much that he used it to keep his kids in line.

SUMMARY

– Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Red Sonja hit the theatres a year after the Terminator.
– The former Governor of California would rue doing the film, which he would label as his worst.
– Schwarzenegger’s kids would be punished to watch Red Sonja 10 times if they misbehaved.
– Arnold Schwarzenegger said that the punishment was very effective, as his children seldom irked him.

It is easy to lose sight of how much Arnold Schwarzenegger has achieved in his life.

Starting out as a bodybuilder, it didn’t take the Australian to make the transition to another stage. Schwarzenegger took to acting like a duck to the water.

The star of The Terminator fame has given fans many blockbusters to rave about.

It is no surprise that he’s one of the most celebrated actors of his era, etching his place in the heart of an entire generation.

In spite of this resounding success, he has had a few flukes.

And one of them helped him in keeping the kids in line.

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s rise to fame

Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger made the switch to Hollywood in the 70s.

It would take him a decade of playing side characters and uncredited roles before he would get his first noteworthy role as Conan.

The role of Terminator was not far off, with the sci-fi hitting theatres in 1984.

Everything was looking upward for him. It was only a matter of time tell the law of averages would catch up.

And it did. Director Richard Fleischer’s Red Sonja would be released a year after The Terminator.

And it would turn out to be a disaster for the former Governor of California.

Red Sonja was a let-down on all fronts

Arnold Schwarzenegger in Red Sonja
Red Sonja was a movie to forget for everyone concerned. Nothing seemed to be working.

The plot was a far cry from what the people expected, the cast failed to understand what their assignment was.

Everything that could go wrong, had gone wrong.

No wonder it was a letdown, with critics leaving no chance to tear into it.

A dismal Rotten Tomatoes rating of 21% was nothing short of an indictment, with their consensus reading,

“Dull, poorly directed, and badly miscast, Red Sonja is an uninspired conclusion to Schwarzenegger’s barbarian trilogy.”

It’s true. And no one knows that better than Schwarzenegger.

Arnold Schwarzenegger uses Red Sonja to threaten his kids

Arnold Schwarzenegger with his family
Arnold Schwarzenegger knew how horrendous the project was. He would go on to say,

“It’s the worst film I’ve ever made.” (Independent)

Despite his reservations, he couldn’t help but agree that the movie was useful in one aspect. He famously joked,

“Now I tell my kids that, if they get out of line, they’ll be forced to watch Red Sonja ten times in a row. It must be working, because I’ve never had much trouble with any of them.”

Maybe that is a Parenting Hack everyone should keep in mind.