‘Red Sonja’: Arnold Schwarzenegger names “the worst film I ever made”

When he’s not kicking back with a stogie, hitting the gym or wading into politics, Arnold Schwarzenegger likes to put his acting skills to work. Although he is far less prominent in Hollywood than he once was, there was a period during the 1980s and 1990s when he was one of the film industry’s biggest stars. After featuring as a fresh-faced, shaggy-haired stud in the 1977 bodybuilding documentary Pumping Iron, the Austrian enjoyed a meteoric rise that saw him star in a host of classics.

Conan the Barbarian, Commando, Predator, Total Recall and the Terminator films are just some of those that propelled him to stardom. These titles also thrust him into a flourishing roster of on-screen tough guys, home to Sylvester Stallone, Dolph Lundgren, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Chuck Norris.

Due to the earth-shattering success of projects such as those above, Schwarzenegger became the de facto king of this pack. After all, none of his peers can claim a more iconic line than “I’ll be back” from The Terminator.

In many ways, Schwarzenegger is the ultimate action hero, with his most lauded titles rightly having their fun place in popular culture. Today he might be much less active than he used to be, but he’s still a smiling reminder of when big-budget action films were all the rage. Additionally, unlike most of cinema’s tough guys – he’s not confined himself to the world of action. He’s also committed to a string of classic comedies, such as Twins, Kindergarten Cop and Jingle All the Way.

One thing that is readily clear about Schwarzenegger’s career is that he isn’t exactly known for an oeuvre brimming with artistic highlights. Often, his films forego panache for cheesy plotlines, exaggerated scripts and overblown set pieces. Although it is now a cult title, one of his most disappointing was 1985’s Red Sonja. Ostensibly a sword and sorcery epic in the style of Conan, it was criticised when released for being dull and miscast, making only $6.9 million against its budget of $17.9 million.

Schwarzenegger views the flick with disdain too. In no uncertain terms, he once expressed: “It’s the worst film I have ever made”. The actor hates it so much that he even jokingly said that he made his kids watch it as a punishment. He continued: “When my kids get out of line, they’re sent to their rooms and forced to watch Red Sonja 10 times. I never had too much trouble with them.”