Movies - TV
Arnold Schwar-zenegger Didn’t Film A Single Scene With His Batman & Robin Co-Stars
By JEREMY SMITH
Director Joel Schumacher's production of “Batman & Robin” was, logistically speaking, needlessly complicated, particularly with the casting of Arnold Schwarzenegger, who was reportedly paid $25 million for the film. According to stars George Clooney and Chris O'Donnell, they never spoke a line to Schwarzenegger, who played the film’s villain, Mr. Freeze.
“[I]'m in a lot of scenes with Mr. Freeze,” recalled O’Donnell. “I never worked a single day with Arnold. Not a single day. I’d hang out and talk to him [...] but literally, they had a double for him.” This isn’t uncommon on many movie sets, and with “Batman & Robin,” it was a time-saving compromise necessitated by the tight production schedule and Mr. Freeze’s costume.
Of Schwarzenegger, Clooney added, “We never even worked together, we never even saw each other. It was ... a big monster machine, and I just sort of jumped in and did what they said.” The film chilled Schwarzenegger's career, prompting the actor to pursue politics and become Governor of California — suddenly Mr. Freeze wasn't the worst thing he'd ever done.