The actor had heart surgery and the film was his comeback after recovery.
SUMMARY
Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger was known for his action-hero persona in the ‘80s and the ‘90s.
The actor however had a sabbatical when he underwent heart surgery to prevent it from getting worse.
Hence, his comeback film End of Days was reportedly extensively monitored by insurance company agents.
Arnold Schwarzenegger is known for his action-hero persona and is still considered one of the industry’s most accomplished action stars.
Though the former Governor of California is not frequent in his film appearances, he is still appreciated for his legendary stats after starring in films such as The Terminator and Conan the Destroyer.
Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone were the bonafide action stars of the ‘80s and ‘90s but their brand of action films started to fade near the end of the ‘90s once films like The Matrix and The Mummy came into the picture.
Schwarzenegger’s comeback film End of Days was a failure and was in trouble due to the actor’s ill health.
Arnold Schwarzenegger In End of Days
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger is known for his high-octane action films such as The Terminator, True Lies, Commando, and Predator.
Along with Sylvester Stallone, the duo one-upped each other throughout the ‘80s and early ‘90s to become the highest-grossing and the action stars with the highest body count in their respective films.
In the mid-90s, Schwarzenegger decided to undergo surgery to replace a defective heart valve which he was reportedly born with.
His mother had a similar defect which led to her death in 1998 as she reportedly refused to get surgery.
According to HCA, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s surgery had complications and he had to undergo a second one to rectify the mistakes.
Arnold Schwarzenegger in End of Days
After his recovery, Schwarzenegger decided to make a big comeback, but his brand of action films has started to wane.
Hence, in a strategic effort, he chose to star in the action-horror film End of Days. He said to EW about his decision to star in the film,
“This had all the things I basically needed to come back with. It had the supernatural, which is important today because people today love supernatural movies like ‘The Sixth Sense.’
Second, the timing was perfect, because it was the only movie that dealt with the millennium.
Third, it was very important to do a big movie, to make a big splash when I come back with a big budget and everything.
And four, I wanted to show I’m physically recovered from my 1997 heart surgery, so I needed a chance to show stunts and the craziness.”
The film was directed by Peter Wyams and also starred Gabriel Byrne and Robin Tunney.
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Film Was A Nightmare For Insurance Companies
A still from End of Days
Though his brand of action films had started to wane, he was still a legendary star, and End of Days was supposed to be the perfect transitionary vehicle for him to regain the top spot.
The actor’s last release was the 1997 box office bomb Batman & Robin, where he played Mr. Freeze and he did not want to go out of the industry with such icy reception.
Plus, his heart surgery made headlines during the time which impacted his image as an invincible on-screen hero who was a killing machine.
Though Schwarzenegger finally got back to his action-hero persona with End of Days, he was reportedly surprised when executives from the insurance company showed up on set to monitor filming and to make sure that the recently recovered Arnold Schwarzenegger was up for the task.
They even reportedly asked him why he was going through such punishment.
The film had a massive budget of $100 million in 1999 and it was natural that the filmmakers were afraid of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s health after a risky surgery.
However, after seeing the T2: Judgement Day star in action, the insurance people backed off and let him be. The film ended up being a moderate hit, earning $212 million.
