Arnold Schwarzenegger says he loves working in Toronto — especially for this one unexpected reason
You know who might not be impressed by Premier Doug Ford's plan to rip up bike lanes in Toronto? None other than the Terminator himself.
When I interviewed Arnold Schwarzenegger last August — three months before the province passed a law allowing it to remove bike lanes on major city streets — the legendary actor shared his love of Toronto and singled out one of the things he liked most: its bike lanes.
'I'm a bike rider,' said Schwarzenegger on the Etobicoke set of his Netflix action series 'FUBAR' (an acronym for 'F—ked up beyond all recognition').
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'I ride around with my bicycle and they have bike lanes everywhere, and even at night when I ride, I feel safe. Obviously you can always get hit, but the bottom line is it is the safest (the city) can make it because there are so many bike lanes, and so that's a big, big plus.'
It remains to be seen how many of those bikes lanes will still be around if Schwarzenegger returns to the city next year to shoot a third season of 'FUBAR,' which had yet to be renewed when this story was written.
In 'FUBAR,' Arnold Schwarzenegger plays a retired CIA agent who's called back into action.
Courtesy of Netflix
But, according to the 77-year-old actor — a former professional bodybuilder and erstwhile governor of California — it's not just the body that needs to be honed but the brain too.
Schwarzenegger has fought myriad enemies in his many action films — which include 'Conan the Barbarian,' 'The Terminator' series, 'Predator,' 'True Lies' and 'The Expendables' franchise — but these days he has a new foe: retirement.
'That is the villain of villains: retiring and not doing anything,' he said.
'You've got to keep your mind active,' he added, noting that his ex-wife, Maria Shriver, is heavily involved in promoting research and education about Alzheimer's disease.
Learning eight to 10 pages of dialogue a day certain helps with that.
'You have to come to the set prepared,' Schwarzenegger said. 'And so you study and you study and you study, and you memorize and you memorize.'
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He works his brain even more during night shoots when he plays chess online with friends to stay awake and stay sharp: 'So when someone calls at four in the morning to do a scene, you're ready to go.
'This profession keeps you on your toes.'
In 'FUBAR,' Schwarzenegger's character, Luke Brunner, is also being kept on his toes.
In Season 1, which debuted in 2023, the CIA operative was about to retire when he got called back into action to save another agent in Guyana, one who happened to be his daughter, Emma (Monica Barbaro of 'A Complete Unknown').
From left, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Monica Barbaro, Milan Carter, Fortune Feimster and Travis Van Winkle in Season 2 of 'FUBAR.'
Christos Kalohoridis/Netflix
Father and daughter spent the rest of the season navigating their uneasy relationship while working with a motley crew of fellow agents — played by standup comedian Fortune Feimster, Travis Van Winkle ('The Last Ship') and Milan Carter ('Warped!') — to try to take down arms dealer Boro (Gabriel Luna of 'The Last of Us'), Luke's sworn enemy.
When the season ended, the whole gang, plus Luke's ex-wife, Tally (Fabiana Udenio), her fiancé, Donnie (Andy Buckley), and Emma's boyfriend, Carter (Jay Baruchel), were forced to flee to parts unknown after Boro and his henchmen ambushed and cut short Tally and Donnie's wedding.
Season 2 sees the crew, when they're not driving each other crazy in a safe house, embarking on new missions to save the world, and tackling new adversaries played by British actor Guy Burnet and Canadian star Carrie-Anne Moss, who will forever be known as Trinity from the 'Matrix' movies.
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When I talked to Moss on set she wasn't allowed to tell me anything about her character — we do know she's Greta, an East German spy who has a history with Luke — but she was pumped about working with Schwarzenegger for the first time.
Arnold Schwarzenegger as CIA agent Luke Brunner and Carrie-Anne Moss as East German spy Greta Nelso in 'FUBAR.'
Christos Kalohoridis/Netflix
'I've never had so much fun on a job,' said the Vancouver native, who's 57.
'He's so funny,' she said about Schwarzenegger. 'And the action is so good. And the comedy is just amazing. And then the family relationship and all the humour in that. And I think this season is even funnier.'
When I asked Schwarzenegger about the action in 'FUBAR,' he said he wasn't doing much of it himself — not like the old days when, in 'Conan the Barbarian,' it was OK 'to get a beating, let horses step all over me or get attacked by wolves.'
But Moss said he was being modest: 'He does a lot of his action. I was really impressed by that.'
And that wasn't the only thing she found inspiring about her co-star.
'It's so easy as we age to want to get a little more cosy, slower. Arnold is not doing that,' she said. 'Watching him, I'm like absolutely: it's so much fun to keep working and to be part of something like this and to keep yourself vital in it. '
That vitality was certainly a theme when talking to Schwarzenegger's co-stars, whether it was his leading the cast on a bike ride, which Barbaro said was amazing, or Moss going to the gym with him — he works out daily — and getting tips.
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'For me, he's just inspirational as a human being,' said Burnet. 'And I don't say this just because it's an interview, (but) he's genuinely one of the loveliest human beings I've come across. And he's so funny and hospitable and keen to tell you about his life … he has incredible stories.'
'He doesn't have to work (but) he's passionate about it,' said Feimster. 'He gets a lot of joy from it, I think, but he's also still putting out a lot of joy and doing a lot of good,' she added, referring to his behind-the-scenes philanthropy.
For his part, Schwarzenegger directed praise to the people who help make 'FUBAR,' including his co-stars (who, this season, include prolific Toronto actor Enrico Colantoni) and the many crew members.
Arnold Schwarzenegger with crew members on the set of 'FUBAR' at Toronto's Cinespace Studios.
Christos Kalohoridis/Netflix
'You look around (the set), there's 80 people standing around and you felt this was your family for four and a half months (of shooting). And these are the people that tirelessly helped you to be a star,' Schwarzenegger said.
'I don't put my own makeup on. I don't do my own hair. I don't put this wardrobe on. The people that measure the camera distance and focus and the lighting and all of this stuff — all of these people are working to make you shine. So I always want to let them know that without them we have nothing.'
And if Schwarzenegger does return for more 'FUBAR' and you spot him pedalling around town in whatever bike lanes remain, he'll be happy to say hello.
'I think that the people (in Toronto) are really friendly. When you stop when it's a red light, they come up and they chat, and they ask in a very courteous way if they can take a picture with you or whatever. So it's really terrific. I hope we come back again for another season,' he said.
'FUBAR' Season 2 starts streaming Thursday on Netflix.
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