Arnold Schwarzenegger on Malaga: 'I will be back'

Hollywood was very much present at San Diego Comic-Con Málaga (SDCCM) on Sunday, represented by the one and only Arnold Schwarzenegger, who filled the venue's biggest space - Hall M. The 'godfather' of the first Comic-Con in Europe was the most anticipated name this year. He was presented by Antonio Banderas himself, with whom the Austrian actor shared the screen in The Expendables 3. Banderas went down on one knee to present the 'Terminator' with the honourable award. Schwarzenegger charmed fans by saying his mythical phrases "Hasta la vista, baby" and "I'll be back". The latter he said with pure honesty, given his love for such conventions. That is why he was "in" as soon as he was invited to attend San Diego Comic-Con Málaga.

Effortlessly mastering the stage space, Schwarzenegger delighted the 3,000 attendees with stories about his career, his roots in bodybuilding and his triumph in the cinema despite his accent. He also spoke about his move into politics as governor of California and the role Spain has played in his international launch. He even dedicated a few minutes to the current political climate and responded to Trump who said that he hates his opponents earlier last week. The actor and politician made his message clear: "No one should hate anyone. You can respect people even if they don't share the same opinion as you."

The unexpected presence of Antonio Banderas was the first surprise of the Total Recall masterclass starring Schwarzenegger. The two actors were in total harmony - a team that has been marked by a genuine friendship. Schwarzenegger shared that Banderas had won him over in Los Angeles with his paellas and said that he has been idolising the Malaga-born actor for years. The two agreed that they had had "a lot of fun" while filming together.

Schwarzenegger then turned to the other fantastic person on stage - filmmaker Álex de la Iglesia, who guided the conversation with the True Lies actor. Arnold made him an offer he couldn't resist: "We've never worked together and I hope we'll make a film together one day." The director of The Day of the Beast was left speechless, but eventually snapped out of the shock and enthusiastically accepted the offer. There were plenty of witnesses in the room.

Although it was his first time in Malaga, Arnold promised to return. "For me, this is like coming home, because I filmed Conan the Barbarian here, 45 years ago," the Austrian actor said, recalling his time in the desert of Almeria, Madrid and Segovia, where he filmed the legendary comic book adaptation directed by John Millius in 1982. "I will never forget it, because it was the beginning of my international career," he said.

He starred in that film mostly thanks to his bodybuilder's physique - a part of the actor's life he also discussed in Hall M. "Bodybuilding is not only the construction of your body, it is also the construction of your mind and your confidence," he said, adding that his body had served as a way to express himself at a time when he still couldn't speak English as well. His physique was an essential part of his cinema career and he would spend five hours a day training. It was his dedication that launched extensive workouts into Hollywood. "I took acting classes, acrobatics, public speaking, English, learning how to get rid of my accent... it didn't work. I still have an accent," he ironically said as the audience laughed and cheered.

Schwarzenegger didn't use the Comic-Con spotlight to gloat. He mentioned the names of many directors he had worked with - John Millius, Jim Cameron, Ivan Reitman, John McTiernan, Paul Verhoeven and, as the actor said, "the list goes on and on and on". He thanked everybody he had worked with. "I didn't do it by myself. I was made by great directors, great actors and great fans without whose existence I wouldn't have anything," the artist said.

The 'Terminator' filled his talk with anecdotes, including the one describing his 'rivalry' with another actor with a remarkable physique - Sylvester Stallone. "He came to me and said: 'I killed more people in Rambo than you did in Conan.' So we counted them and he had 60 people, but then I did Commando and I 'killed' 87 people. He went crazy, so we started a competition over who kills the most people, who uses the biggest guns, who uses the longest knives, who cuts the most throats, who has the least body fat, who makes the most money at the box office... It was an all-out war and people loved it. And we loved it too," said the actor.

Another anecdote from the actor's career warns of the risks involved in the profession and, mostly, in the genre. While continuously rehearsing a knife scene in Commando, the actor stabbed himself in the hand. However, Schwarzenegger said that this great fixation has always served to "entertain" the viewer.

The Austrian-born actor said that his goal has always been to make films for everybody, not just the American audience. As he said, he feels like a "citizen of the world".

Schwarzenegger recalled how, during the filming of the 'Terminator' saga, director James Cameron had told him that the actor's work had made his hairs stand on end. However, the actor jokingly told the Comic-Con audience that things change with age. "45 years ago, in Terminator, I would say: 'I'll be back.' Now I say: 'Oh, my back.'"

Among the attendees during the talk were president of the regional government Juanma Moreno, Malaga mayor Francisco de la Torre, San Diego Comic-Con representative David Glanzer and SDCCM director Javier Barberá.

The political air was present not only in the faces of official attendees but also in Schwarzenegger's words, as he called for peace and universal respect, despite the varying opinions shared by people, especially in the currently tense relationship between American republicans and democrats.

Before leaving, the actor winked at his fans and said: "Hasta la vista, baby." Let's hope that he does indeed come back.