Schwarzenegger Regrets Turning Down The Rock (1996)

Did you know that Arnold Schwarzenegger recently held an AMA (ask me anything, for the social media inept), and that in responding to one question he listed some movies he regretted not appearing in?  One of those movies was The Rock (1996):

“Yes, there were many movies I turned down or I didn’t have the time for. The Rock was one. They came to me during the filming of a movie and they only had 85 pages. They were all greasy and had handwriting all over them. Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer were both visionaries, but sometimes they were so over the top you thought you were dealing with crazy people. They tried to get me to commit. I said I couldn’t until I saw a real script that wasn’t greasy and half-written. When I saw the movie, it was fantastic. Nicolas Cage nailed it.”

He also regrets turning down Face/Off which would have starred both he and Sylvester Stallone instead of Nicolas Cage and John Travolta:

“I also walked away from Face Off. Again, he did a great job. When I didn’t see how I could play a role, I let them move on. As far as parts I wish I didn’t play, we don’t have time.”

Two big missed opportunities there, not that there is anything wrong with Eraser (1996).  But you would have to admit that Face/Off should have happened right there in the late ’90s instead of Batman & Robin. Even ahead of Cop Land for Stallone.