Arnold Schwarzenegger: ‘I’ll Be Back’ Tagline Was an ‘Accident’

Regardless of how many remakes and reboots there are — and will be — the “Terminator” franchise will forever be associated with Arnold Schwarzenegger’s tagline, “I’ll be back,” which it turns out came about by sheer chance.

In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the “Terminator” star recalled how the memorable line of dialogue was an “accident” that was linked to a disagreement he had with the film’s director James Cameron. 

“Jim Cameron and I were debating how to say the line because I was not comfortable with saying ‘I’ll,'” the former California governor told THR. “I said, ‘I think it’s stronger to say, ‘I will be back.’ Cameron said, ‘Are you the scriptwriter now? It’s just one word. Don’t tell me how to write. I don’t tell you how to act.'”

Schwarzenegger recalled accusing Cameron of how to act “every f—ing minute.” Undeterred, the director prevailed, telling Schwarzenegger, “Arnold, you think it sounds weird. It doesn’t. What makes it great is that you sound different than me or Charlie over there. That’s what makes it work.”

Cameron told Schwarzenegger to say the line over 10 times while the cameras were rolling. After a few tries, they ended up with one that worked. 

What Schwarzenegger did not anticipate was how popular the line would become — and how it would follow him around decades later.

“The movie comes out, I’m in Central Park, this guy comes up and says, ‘Say the line!'”  Schwarzenegger recalled.

“Now, a few days ago, I was skiing in Aspen, and the concierge comes up asking me to say the line. So that’s where it started and where it ended up. It’s wild.”

During the interview, Schwarzenegger also said, while he would no longer appear as the Terminator in any further films, the franchise itself “is not done.”

“I’m done. I got the message loud and clear that the world wants to move on with a different theme when it comes to ‘The Terminator,'” he said. “Someone has to come up with a great idea. ‘The Terminator’ was largely responsible for my success, so I always would look at it very fondly. The first three movies were great.”