Starring in his first movie in 1970 (Hercules in New York), Arnold Schwarzenegger made a name for himself in Hollywood. Subsequently, the legendary bodybuilder proceeded to feature in multiple films, including Total Recall (1990).
The retired professional bodybuilder portrayed Douglas Quaid in Total Recall, and Sharon Stone, his co-star, portrayed Lori Quaid, his wife. The actress later talked about a rumor that suggested Schwarzenegger was not sure if he liked her or not.
Although action films helped Schwarzenegger launch his career and he also enjoyed great success in the comedy genre, sci-fi has ultimately treated him the best over the years. Though his most enduring cinematic legacy is unquestionably The Terminator films, his ability to deliver action, comedy, and sci-fi genres was greatly enhanced by Paul Verhoeven’s Total Recall.
However, rumors have it that the movie’s main actors were at odds with one another. It seems that while they were working on this 1990 science fiction action film, the two well-known Hollywood stars did not get along.
Sharon Stone Shamelessly Mocked Arnold Schwarzenegger?
Director, Paul Verhoeven brought together, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sharon Stone for his futuristic sci-fi film, Total Recall (1990). At first, Stone declined the project because she was not all that interested in doing action movies. However, after finding out that Verhoeven was involved in the project, she quickly reevaluated the proposal.
The 65-year-old actress previously told Playboy:
“I said, ‘I’ve done every stupid action movie I’m going to do. No, thank you.’ Then they told me that Paul Verhoeven was directing it and I said, ‘Oh, OK. I don’t need to go to the meeting. If they want me, I’ll do it.’ I had seen his films and thought they were terrific. Then I met him and I was completely enamored of him. I was cast and had a great time making it.”
Stone got along with The Terminator actor fairly well while they were on set. But another source once told the actress that Schwarzenegger did not like her. She thus, took offense at the message for an unanticipated reason as she stated:
“He [Arnold Schwarzenegger]’s just a big, big baby. But he wants you to do the best you can do because he wants his team to win. It’s not an individual sport for Arnold.”
However, she went on, speaking very highly of the actor:
“Arnold is a movie star. I made fun of him right off the bat. We were doing rehearsals in a hotel room. Arnold was lying on the bed and Paul was on top of him, straddling him, caressing his hair, explaining to me how he thought the scene ought to go. I said, ‘I think I’ll leave you two guys alone. You’re so darn cute together!’ Arnold is unbelievably focused and available. He tries harder than most people I’ve worked with.”
Sharon Stone Was Told ‘Arnold Doesn’t Like You’
Sharon Stone had previously talked to Movieline printed issue about her past reputation as a challenging behind the scene scenario in the industry. There could be some merit to the rumors, as the Basic Instinct actor conceded. She did not care for the rumors, though, because Stone was not trying to be polite:
“I could do nice, but it’s just not as much fun. Being nice isn’t my biggest goal in life. I’m trying to be honest about who I am and that’s not always nice. I’m not always the world’s cheerleader. On a movie, when an actress b****** about wardrobe, food, the director, the hours, the anything, it’s because we are insecure about our work. The more trained I get, the more secure I get in my work, the easier I am to get along with on the set.”
Later, Stone subsequently provided an example of how she was informed by an unidentified source that Arnold Schwarzenegger did not think well of her as the Casino actress recalled:
“Someone said one day, ‘You know, Arnold doesn’t like you. After thinking about that, I called this person and said, ‘Did anybody bother to wonder if I liked Arnold? Or does only his opinion count because he’s a big star?’”
Well, with approximately $261.4 million in box office receipts worldwide, Paul Verhoeven’s 1990 film, Total Recall wound up as the fifth highest-grossing film of that year.
Although the movie received mixed reviews, its practical special effects won the film an Academy Award.
You can watch Total Recall, which is streaming on DIRECTV.