Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Crucial Decision Made ‘Predator’ a Sci-Fi Horror Classic

No actor was bigger in the 1980s and early 90s than Arnold Schwarzenegger. Movies like The Terminator, Commando, The Running Man, and Total Recall made him the king of action movies. One of his best films is the 1987 sci-fi horror classic Predator. Directed by John McTiernan (Die Hard, Last Action Hero), Predator is the quintessential 80s action thriller, complete with cool characters, bulging muscles, unforgettable one-liners, and a terrifying monster. How it’s remembered today almost didn’t happen. When 20th Century Fox came to Schwarzenegger with an unusual script request, the actor refused. If he hadn’t, the change would have completely altered Predator and ruined both its hero and villain.

Studio Executives Wanted Arnold Schwarzenegger to Have a Love Interest in ‘Predator’

Image via 20th Century Fox

By 1987, the 40-year-old Arnold Schwarzenegger had already established himself as the top action hero. However, following the huge success of The Terminator, the future California governor made a string of mediocre movies. Then came Predator. In the film, Schwarzenegger plays Dutch Schaefer, a mercenary who takes his team into the jungles of Central America, where they discover a villain worse than any gun-toting bad guy. Waiting for them is an alien being who has come to Earth to hunt human beings. One by one, Dutch’s team is taken out until only he and one survivor, a captured guerrilla named Anna (Elpidia Carrillo), remain. Anna doesn’t have a huge role in Predator, but if 20th Century Fox had gotten their way, her part would have been a disaster.

Decades ago, during an interview on The Arsenio Hall Show, Schwarzenegger told the talk show host about how studios often came to him and requested that he put a love interest in his films. The actor was against the idea “to throw a woman in just for the sake of having in to sell a few extra tickets.” This even happened during the shooting of Predator. Schwarzenegger told the studio executive who called him:

“So, I say, how do you expect me to do that? You know, here I am running through the jungle. The ten guys, ten of my soldier friends, are getting killed by this Predator that’s chasing us down, and he’s about to kill me. Do you want me to say to the girl, ‘Let’s go around the bush and have a little nookie here’?”

Arnold explained to the exec that such a scenario wouldn’t work. After the explanation, the caller agreed, telling the actor, “I guess you have a point.” With that, the preposterous idea was dropped.

Giving Dutch a Love Interest Would Have Ruined Dutch’s Character

Predator works by using the tropes of action movies and doing something more. Dutch is the epitome of cool. He’s all testosterone, as are the men in his crew, like Al Dillon (Carl Weathers) and Blain Cooper (Jesse Ventura). Predator gives us what we expect. The scene of Dutch and Dillon grasping arms, their biceps bulging, could come out of any Schwarzenegger or Sylvester Stallone action flick of the era. There are a plethora of one-liners fans still quote today, and more guns than you can count. But as soon as the alien shows up, the switch is flipped, and a simple, high-octane action plot turns into sci-fi horror. After that, there is no time to stop or even slow down. A sophisticated alien with advanced technology is on their heels.

A love interest would have ruined Predator on multiple levels. It would have severely hurt the Dutch character. Next to his role in the Terminator franchise, Dutch is arguably Schwarzenegger’s most famous part. This is because the protagonist is badass and all business. He’s not only strong physically, but he’s also smarter than everyone else. This is what allows him to win in the end. If Dutch, out of nowhere, decided to let his hormones take over while he’s being pursued by an alien, it would have shown that the character isn’t so smart after all, and would put his and Anna’s lives on the line simply to get laid. Dutch is memorable because he only has one thing on his mind: his and Anna’s survival. Anything else, and he becomes the opposite of the hero the plot requires.

The Alien Monster in ‘Predator’ Loses Its Fear Factor With This Scene

Image via 20th Century Fox

Even worse is what a love interest subplot would have done to the alien antagonist. Played by the 7’2″ Kevin Peter Hall, and designed by Stan Winston, the Predator is one of the most uniquely terrifying villains in sci-fi horror history, even before the mask comes off. The creature is immensely intimidating, and it’s going to take an incredible effort to defeat its superior strength and technology. If Dutch and Anna stop running away from it to have sex in the bushes, they’re telling the audience the alien is not that big of a threat. If they don’t care, why should we?

Thankfully, Schwarzenegger doesn’t just make movies to get rich and be a star. He truly cares about the script and the art of filmmaking. If he were a yes man who did whatever he was told for a paycheck, Predator wouldn’t be the classic it is today, and an entire franchise may never have happened. At the same time, his name already carried so much weight in 1987 that 20th Century Fox easily gave in when he stood up to them. In the end, Predator succeeds because of its relentless action and horror. Dutch is the perfect 80s hero being hunted down by the perfect villain. All that matters is killing the monster and saving the day, nothing more.

Predator

Release Date

June 12, 1987

Runtime

107 minutes