Despite being infamous for playing characters resilient enough to withstand any beating on the silver screen, Arnold Schwarzenegger, in a dramatic turn of events, recently revealed on his YouTube channel that he almost faced death in real life. The actor came perilously close to losing his life during a complicated heart surgery, diverging from his virtually indestructible on-screen persona.
The Terminator icon has a legacy of portraying characters who vehemently defy death, be it the iconic T-800 in the Terminator franchise, or his recent stint as a CIA operative in Netflix’s series FUBAR. The harsh reality of real life, however, took him by surprise when he underwent his third heart operation just before shooting for Terminator: Dark Fate in 2019.
Schwarzenegger reflected upon his harrowing experience:
“I woke up and all of a sudden the doctors were in front of me saying, ‘I’m so sorry but it was unlike what we planned,’ [They said] we made a mistake and poked through the heart wall and had to open me up very quickly to save [my] life. I was really freaking out.”
Despite the chaos and discomfort, Schwarzenegger unequivocally epitomized his never-say-die attitude that has inspired millions:
“The bottom line is, you cannot roll the clock back. It was a disaster. I was in the middle of a disaster. So now how do I get out of it? You collect yourself, shift gears and say, ‘OK, what I need to do now is I got to get out of this hospital.’”
Schwarzenegger Returns to FUBAR
Despite receiving mixed reactions from critics, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s first-ever TV series, Netflix’s FUBAR, was well-received by his ardent fans. In the show, Schwarzenegger plays a CIA operative on the brink of retirement who discovers his daughter is also clandestinely involved in a similar role. Even though the show has flavors reminiscent of True Lies, it’s Schwarzenegger’s seasoned action hero act that turned it into a huge hit.
Netflix greenlit the second season of FUBAR shortly after the successful debut of the first season in May of this year. However, due to the ongoing writer’s strike and actor’s protest, there’s yet no expected date for the series return. Fans can expect to see the actor next in the comedy martial arts film Kung Fury 2, starring alongside David Sandberg, Michael Fassbender, and Davis Hasselhoff.
In the meantime, Schwarzenegger opened up about his life and career in his Netflix documentary, simply titled Arnold. Despite approaching his 80s, it’s clear that just like his on-screen characters, the 76-year-old ‘Austrian Oak’ will be back in action more than ever in the near future.
