Father of Five, Arnold Schwarzenegger Playing a Pregnant Man Made Ivan Reitman Rethink the Script of $108 Million Film Back in 1994

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KITZBUHEL, AUSTRIA – JANUARY 21: Arnold Schwarzenegger at the finish of the downhill race of the 83rd Hahnenkamm Race at Kitzbuehel, Austria on January 21, 2022 (Photo by Mine Kasapoglu/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Arnold Schwarzenegger is known for his action-packed films. However, over the years, he has shown fans that he has a goofy side too. In fact, he has starred in a ton of hilarious movies ranging from Twins, Kindergarten Cop, Jingle All The Way, and FUBAR. Although, back in the 90s, one of his films stunned audiences and paved the way for a new type of comedy. At the time, pregnant men on screens were not so much of a thing, but the Austrian Oak proved that he was ahead of his time.
After finding the script funny, Schwarzenegger’s mind was set on playing a pregnant man in one of his films. However, it took a little more convincing to get his good friend and director, Ivan Reitman, on board.
Ivan Reitman on Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Junior
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Back in 1994, right after the comedy film, Junior hit the screens, director Ivan Reitman, opened up in an interview with Charlie Rose about his thought process for the film. While the world had fallen in love with Arnold Schwarzenegger’s courage and humor, Reitman revealed that the actor had brought him the script. Although the 7-time Mr. Olympia winner was more than ready to take on the role of a pregnant man, the director was not sure if that was “such a good idea.”
The director also went on to say that the thought of it had initially made him “a little queasy.” However, he chose to give the script a chance and ended up thinking it was funny too. Reitman also said he began looking at the film as a new way to do a romantic comedy which also helped him a bit. While the film did not do exceptionally well, fans still fell in love with Schwarzenegger’s humor.
Although this was one of the most challenging projects that Ivan Reitman had brought to life, it was not his first time working with Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Ivan Reitman and Arnold Schwarzenegger collaborations
The main reason that Reitman was able to take a leap of faith with Junior was because of his relationship with Arnold Schwarzenegger. After working together on numerous films, it was no wonder that the director ended up giving the script a shot. However, the two had collaborated just 4 years earlier on the popular action-comedy Kindergarten Cop.
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Director and producer Ivan Reitman with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito 🎭 pic.twitter.com/SrYMAUCAom
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Years before that, back in 1988, they came together again to work on a comedy starring the former governor of California and everybody’s favorite comedian, Danny Devito. The film was called Twins and gave the world a comedy that can never be forgotten. In fact, Junior saw the stars team up again 6 years later. However, years after stealing the spotlight together, Devito opened up about working with Schwarzenegger again. So hopefully, fans of the duo have not seen the last of them just yet.
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What do you think about Ivan Reitman’s reaction to the Junior script? Let us know in the comments below.
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