Believe it or not, James Cameron has only directed nine released narrative features in his titanic 40-year career in Hollywood. The self-proclaimed cinematic King of the World is the second-most lucrative filmmaker after the incomparable Steven Spielberg, with Cameron’s wildly entertaining movies grossing $8.7 billion globally. Still, two of his titles remain slightly overlooked compared to Aliens and the landmark Terminator and Avatar flicks. If you had to make a legitimate case for either, what would you say is Cameron’s most underrated movie: The Abyss or True Lies? Aside from Piranha 2: The Spawning, that is.
As you chew on that sucker, it’s worth noting that True Lies is loosely adapted from the 1991 French spy farce La Totale, directed by Claude Zidi. It’s the only film in Cameron’s quiver to be remade from a preexisting movie. More historical yet, with a budget nearing 120 million dollars, True Lies was the first Hollywood movie to boast a production cost of 100 million dollars. Always one to bet on himself and his artistic vision, it’s no real surprise that the film went on to gross more than triple its cost, positioning Cameron as one of the most entertaining mainstream Hollywood directors whose ability to marry art and commerce ranks second to, well, only Spielberg.
But that’s just scratching the surface. Below, we’re dishing all of the juicy details and behind-the-scenes tidbits about the making of the movie that even the most die-hard fans may not know. From Arnold Schwarzenegger’s near-fatal horse-riding mishap and Jamie Lee Curtis’ death-defying stuntwork to Cameron almost directing Spider-Man: The Movie instead to the insane Harrier Jet finale, and much more, it’s time to pull the ice cube trays out of the freezer and find out What Happened to True Lies as the film celebrates its 30th anniversary in July 2024.
Following the massive success of Terminator 2: Judgment Day, James Cameron did not intend on making True Lies as his next film. Instead, Cameron set his sights on directing an R-rated version of Spider-Man: The Movie, with Leonardo DiCaprio in mind to play Peter Parker and Arnold Schwarzenegger to portray Doctor Octopus. Yet, knowing how technically demanding such a movie would be, Cameron felt he didn’t have sufficient funding or technology to realize his vision. Meanwhile, Carolco Pictures was attached to the project after producing The Terminator but intended to make the film on a much smaller budget than Cameron was comfortable with. As such, Cameron left Spider-Man: The Movie behind to make True Lies with Schwarzenegger, followed by Titanic with DiCaprio. When Carolco Pictures dissolved, Cameron’s script for Spider-Man was drastically reshaped into Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man, starring DiCaprio’s longtime buddy, Tobey Maguire. Intriguingly enough, Charlton Heston’s character in True Lies, Spencer Trilby, resembles Marvel’s Nick Fury, replete with an eyepatch, gruff mannerisms, and fronting a peacekeeping affiliation. Whether this is a coincidence or a residual detail from Cameron’s Spider-Man script is unclear. Then again, it’s been reported that Heston arrived at the set with pink eye and was fitted with an eyepatch by the costume designers to remedy the problem.
Now, back to True Lies. In the first of its kind, Cameron struck a 500 million-dollar deal between his production company Lightstorm Entertainment and 20th-Century Fox to produce 12 movies for the studio as long as they didn’t eclipse a budget of $75 million apiece. Cameron had iron-clad artistic control and immediately sought to reunite with Arnold Schwarzenegger, who signed on to True Lies before making the notorious flop Last Action Hero. Despite breaking the studio’s budgetary mandate each time, Cameron’s deal with Fox has continued with the Avatar franchise.
Cameron credits Schwarzenegger for suggesting True Lies after his brother, Robert Shriver, showed the French film La Totale, or The Jackpot. Cameron saw the movie and was intrigued by the notion of “Who would James Bond be if he got home and had to answer to his wife?” and decided to make the movie with Schwarzenegger as secret spy Harry Tasker. Cameron initially hired a team of joke writers to punch up the script. When Cameron was dissatisfied with their work, he did a page-one rewrite of the script and came up with most of the jokes himself despite not being known for comedy. According to Cameron, only two jokes from the original writers made it into the final film, including Harry’s classic “You’re fired!” quip as he launches a missile with the main terrorist aboard.
Despite giving one of her best performances, Jamie Lee Curtis almost missed out on the role of Helen Tasker. Cameron was a fan of Curtis after seeing her in Blue Steel, a police thriller directed by Cameron’s then-wife, Kathryn Bigelow. Although Cameron was interested in working with Curtis and wrote the part of Helen for her, Schwarzenegger needed convincing. Schwarzenegger initially balked at the idea and could not envision Curtis in the role. The action superstar had his agent relay his misgivings to Cameron, who honored his wishes and began auditioning nearly every famous A-list actress to replace her, including Curtis’ longtime friend, Jodie Foster.
Once Cameron saw how funny and sensual Curtis was in A Fish Called Wanda, he was adamant she was right for the role. Cameron confronted Schwarzenegger and declared Curtis would play Helen. Schwarzenegger politely accepted the decision and became so impressed by Curtis’ work that he opted to share top billing with her after Cameron suggested such. Curtis, whose family knows about the importance of top billing in Hollywood, called Schwarzenegger “a real mensch” for the kind, egoless gesture.
In further casting news, Tom Arnold did not plan on landing the role of Albert “Gib” Gibson, Harry’s wise-craking friend and fellow spy. Arnold mainly auditioned as a lark to meet James Cameron and was soon sharing scenes and trading lines with Schwarzenegger. Arnold was so convinced he would not be cast as Gib that he asked to audition for a smaller role. Yet, Cameron instantly noticed the palpable rapport and comedic chemistry between the two and thought Arnold was perfect for the part. Unfortunately, 20th Century Fox pushed back on the idea, as Arnold’s reputation was not in good standing at the time due to the publicity circus surrounding his divorce from TV star Roseanne Barr.
Never one to back down, Cameron gave the studio an ultimatum, telling Fox that he would make the movie elsewhere if Arnold did not get cast as Gib. The casting decision proved brilliant, with Arnold directly contributing to the movie’s most memorable moments. For instance, when Gib laments that his wife took the ice trays out of the fridge and barks, “What kind of sick bitch takes the ice cube trays out of the freezer,” the line was lifted verbatim from Arnold, who accused Roseanne Barr of a similar act. Arnold said the line was used during rehearsals as an ad-lib, and Cameron liked it so much that he had it written into the script. Given their electric banter in the film, it’s no surprise that Arnold and Schwarzenegger remain good friends today.
Before Arnold was cast as Gib, those considered for the role included Joe Pesci (who declined), Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, John Goodman, and Steve Guttenberg. As for the main heavy, Salim Aziz, Art Malik was given the role without auditioning based on his performance in the 1992 film City of Joy.
Marking a Guinness Book of World Records as the first movie boasting a $100 million production budget (broken by Waterworld the following year), True Lies began filming on August 25, 1993, completing photography on March 26, 1994. In keeping with the globetrotting nature of the story, filming took place across the United States, including Los Angeles, San Diego, Miami, Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Rhode Island.
The seven-month film shoot was delayed several times for multiple reasons, mostly relating to the elaborate stuntwork and practical FX. One of the first major action sequences includes the iconic bathroom blast-out, a scene barely mentioned in the script but took five days to film when Cameron demanded increased action. Two days before filming, Cameron arrived on the set and declared he needed a bigger action set piece replete with falling light fixtures and spraying water pipes. Production Designer Peter Lamont, who was handpicked based on his work on multiple James Bond movies, had two days to recreate a new set. The second man who attacks Harry and gets his head stuffed in a urinal resembles the T-100 Terminator, down to the green Army jacket, a sly nod to Cameron and Schwarzenegger’s most famous collaboration.
Those familiar with True Lies know how much horseback-riding Harry Tasker does in the first half. While filming a scene on horseback, Schwarzenegger had a brush with death after a camera boom accidentally knocked into the horse, causing it to spin and rear out of control like crazy. Just before the horse took Schwarzenegger down a 90-foot drop, the actor slipped off the saddle and was caught by a stuntman in the nick of time. Afterward, Schwarzenegger gratefully quipped, “That’s why I love stunt people.” Four specialized horses were used during the making of True Lies, with Schwarzenegger riding many of the horses himself after all those years of experience making the Conan movies.
Speaking of horseplay, the unforgettable instance when Harry rides a steed through the Marriott Hotel in D.C. was filmed across the country in the lobby at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles. The motorcycle horse chase in the elevators was filmed at the nearby Westin Bonaventure Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. The scene was originally written to have Harry ride the horse and have his image reflected in the pool at the Washington Monument. However, The National Parks Service denied permission to shoot at the historical location.
Before covering more on-set injuries and mishaps, it’s worth noting that Schwarzenegger’s most challenging difficulty was mastering the on-screen Tango dance with Juno Skinner, played by Tia Carrere. The exterior shot of the Swiss chalet that opens the movie was filmed at Ochre Court in Newport, Rhode Island. The ballroom interior was filmed inside The Rosecliff Mansion in Rhode Island.
In addition to taking dance lessons and rehearsing for six months, Schwarzenegger closely studied Al Pacino and Gabrielle Anwar’s iconic Tango in Scent of a Woman. Both movies feature the same song, “Por Una Cabeza,” in their respective dance sequences. Ironically enough, the final tango scene between Harry and Helen was imitated in Mr. & Mrs. Smith a decade later, a similarly themed domestic action-comedy starring Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Jolie even mimics Curtis’ racy downward slide toward the floor, which was not intended by Curtis and resulted from physical fatigue. Although Curtis was enraged when she learned Cameron left it in the film, she soon realized that it’s precisely how Helen would act in such a scenario.
In another unforgettable scene, Helen’s controversial strip tease in the fictitious Hotel Marquis was partially designed by Curtis. Originally, the plan was to have Helen perform the strip tease completely naked, with her body silhouetted in the darkness. It was Curtis’ idea to keep Helen’s body visible and have her perform the strip tease in her bra and panties, which belonged to Curtis in real life. Helen’s clumsy fall mid-striptease was planned in rehearsals, although Schwarzenegger was not alerted beforehand. His reaction was one of shock, and the sequence had to be reshot while Schwarzenegger kept his cool. It was also Curtis’ idea of Helen ripping her black dress to tatters in one scene to make her outfit more suitable for her dangerous mission. Meanwhile, the moment Harry drops the tape recorder during the dance was a genuine accident by Schwarzenegger. Cameron liked the result so much that he kept it in the movie.
Of course, the lurid strip tease wasn’t the only bold decision Curtis made. She performed almost all of her stunts in the film after extensive training for the part, including the harrowing climax when Harry dangles Helen out of a helicopter by his fingertips. Although a stunt double was used for the shot of Harry pulling Helen out of the limo at the last second, Curtis was genuinely harnessed to the helicopter and dangled below. The wires holding her from below her dress ran through Schwarzenegger’s sleeve and were later erased in post-production. Cameron filmed the sequence himself from inside the chopper. As for the limo’s destruction, it was remotely controlled to avoid as much harm as possible.
Speaking of the explosive Florida Keys finale, the destruction of the 7-mile bridge via Marine missiles was filmed using a constructed 80-foot model. The original bridge was already destroyed in the filming area, with the production team building extra roadway slabs to connect to it and blow it to pieces. Real U.S. Marine Corps pilots and Harrier Jets were provided to the production, necessitating road closures to film the bridge sequence.
The Harrier Jet scenes proved the most challenging to execute for Cameron and his FX team led by Stan Winston. For shots of Harry controlling the jet from inside the cockpit, a full-scale model of the Harriet Jet was built from the ground up. The plane was rigged to a crane on an adjacent building with a painted background. In addition to the crane simulating the jet’s movements, shots of the plane landing and causing dust and debris were digitally added to the film after being filmed separately against a black background. The composite shot fuses real footage and digital augmentation, a laborious process that Cameron swore to avoid in the future.
When Harry elevates the Harrier Jet to eliminate Aziz in the skyscraper, the same crane suspends a fiberglass model outside the window. The background is authentic, devoid of CGI. Apart from the Tango, Schwarzenegger claimed the cockpit was the most torturous due to the 100-degree heat while filming.
Upon release in July 1994, True Lies became the third highest-grossing film of the year behind The Lion King and Forrest Gump. The film played well at home and overseas, grossing over 378 million dollars worldwide. Apart from the commercial success, Schwarzenegger, Curtis, Arnold, and Carrere stated that True Lies was the most fun they had making a movie. As such, a sequel entitled True Lies 2 began development in 1997 as Cameron was busy making Titanic. Schwarzenegger and Arnold were interested in returning, with Cameron hiring Jeff Eastin to write the script in 1999. After nearly years of script work, Cameron was deciding whether to direct or produce True Lies 2 when the world-changing events of September 11, 2001, took place.
Following the terrorist attack on American soil, Cameron pulled the plug on True Lies 2, stating that terrorism is not a subject to be taken as lightly as it was in the first film. Although Schwarzenegger was elected as the Governor of California in 2003, another attempt to make True Lies 2 happened in 2005 but never materialized. Despite the prevailing wisdom that True Lies 2 could never be made after 9/11, a small-screen remake was produced by Lightstorm Entertainment and released by CBS in 2023. While the TV series failed to recapture the movie magic and was canceled after one season, True Lies will always rank as one of Cameron’s most underrated movies. It will also remain one of the best experiences had by the main cast members.
Sadly and tragically, the same can not be said for Eliza Dushku, who plays Harry and Helen’s kidnapped daughter Dana Tasker. This type of thing is never easy or comfortable to discuss, but we’d be remiss not to include the unthinkable trauma Dushku experienced while making such an otherwise celebrated movie.
In 2018, Dushku bravely announced that she was sexually molested on the set of True Lies by the film’s stunt coordinator, Joel Kramer. Dushku explained how the 36-year-old Kramer systematically groomed her as a 12-year-old, building trust in their daily stunt preparations. After arranging for Dushku to be left alone with him one night, Kramer violated the adolescent actor in an unspeakable act that went untold for almost 25 years. When Dushku told an older friend about the incident, they confronted Kramer. Following the confrontation, Dushku suffered an injury during the Harrier Jet finale and broke several ribs. Dushku maintains that this was not an accident but a vengeful ploy by Kramer after reporting his sexual abuse. Kramer was responsible for overseeing Dushku’s safety during the stunt scenes, and she believes Kramer deliberately rigged a faulty harness. As Dushku posted on Facebook:
“To be clear, over the course of those months rehearsing and filming True Lies, it was Joel Kramer who was responsible for my safety on a film that at the time broke new ground for action films. On a daily basis he rigged wires and harnesses on my 12-year-old body. My life was literally in his hands: he hung me in the open air, from a tower crane, atop an office tower, 25+ stories high. Whereas he was supposed to be my protector, he was my abuser.”
Following the admission, Cameron, Schwarzenegger, Curtis, and Arnold commended Dushku for her bravery and willingness to share her traumatic experience with the public. Although he denied the accusations, Kramer has not logged a major Hollywood credit since Dushku’s announcement, a mere pittance for his criminal acts. It’s unfortunate to end on such a down note for an exhilarating James Cameron action flick, but that’s the cold hard crux of What The F*ck Happened to True Lies. Sometimes, the truth goes unnoticed despite lying in plain sight!