Those that know me will know how much I‘ve worshipped Arnold from a very early age, being brought up on the likes of T2, Conan the Barbarian and Predator. Living in suburban England however, my tv screen was the closest I could get to Arnold. Flash forward over 20 years and Arnold is still just as much a god to me now as he was back then. Having had close encounters at the UK red carpet premieres of The Expendables 2 and The Last Stand, there was still a void left. But on Friday night, at the "Evening with Schwarzenegger" event in Leeds, I achieved my lifelong ambition and dream. I met the King!
Click HERE if you missed my earlier report of the films Arnold would like to do next (acting and directing)!
I have to hand it to the promoters, the location and set up of the evening was fantastic. A champagne arrival was followed by the sound of the Terminator theme being played live by the band and there were numerous Arnold goodies around the ballroom, including life-sized models of the Terminators, the Predator and T2 style Harley Davidsons!
A little later on, we were treated to some fantastic auction pieces signed by Arnold earlier on in the day. Big bucks were paid for these exclusive, ONE OFF items. We’ll cover that a little later.
Arnold’s arrival was graced with a three-minute video intro, followed by the stunning Terminator theme. The crowd went wild. Our idol appeared on stage to a rapturous, heroic welcome. Dressed in a smart black suit and open-collared white shirt, he looked PUMPED. Pouring himself a glass of water as he relaxed on the stage couch, he looked out at the crowd and beamed at the reaction he received.
After a few technical problems (MACHINES!), Jonathan Ross and Arnold chatted the night away. Arnold was on fantastic form, making jokes at Jonathan and making fun of himself at times.
“I remember the first movie I made, Hercules in New York. If all of you would have showed up I think it would have been a successful movie. That movie went right in the toilet. I wanted to be a leading man, but you can imagine it in America when you have an accent. Believe it or not, I’m still chasing down the speech coach and trying to get my money back!”
Arnold spoke of his childhood in post war time Austria, telling of how he was smacked as a child. Despite his tough upbringing, Arnold followed his dreams and did everything his own way, defying his parents’ wishes for him to become a Police officer and marry a girl named Heidi.
Arnold paid tribute to his own hero, UK bodybuilder Reg Park, admitting that it was an emotional journey coming to Leeds, which is the birthplace of Reg. He told stories of how Jim Cameron made him film the iconic “I’ll Be Back” scene twenty different times and how he tried to convince the Producers for years to get a third Conan movie off the ground.
After well over an hour, the audience Q&A began. Arnold confirmed that his divorce with Maria is almost final and is likely to be done by Christmas. He also answered that frequently asked question of whether he’d have run for President if the constitution had been changed.
“Without any doubt. This is what I was born for, to be a leader. I feel comfortable in a leadership position. I feel comfortable in taking on challenges. I have thick skin; I don’t get rattled by the media writing something negative or being critical. That is what you have to do.”
Watch my video below to see the great film Intro & Arnold's Arrival!