Predator needs no introduction. It’s the best film in the series and an all-time action extravaganza. Everything aligned to make it possible in 1987, including securing the services of the Terminator himself, Arnold Schwarzenegger, who was well on his way to becoming the biggest movie star in the world.
Shooting for Predator took place near Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. However, the production turned out to be particularly grueling for the cast and crew – not just because of the physical demands of such a film, but also due to the conditions around them. The area in which they were staying had issues with drinking water, so various members of the party were hit with the squirts.
Schwarzenegger may have trained like a beast for his roles, but he wasn’t immune to getting sick either. As he revealed in a Reddit AMA, he got ill, though he decided to continue filming his scenes as Dutch Schaefer.
“During the shooting of the movie, I got really sick in Puerto Vallarta,” Schwarzenegger wrote. “I will spare you the details, but while I was on a run, the runs hit. I ran to the side of the road and some cars driving by got quite the show.”
Well, he did say he’ll be back, and he stuck to his promise here.
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While Schwarzenegger joked about the incident, it was no laughing matter at the time, and he became really sick filming Predator. Since he was the star and production couldn’t be halted for too long, Schwarzenegger powered through most of it, despite his guts protesting. In fact, he filmed a scene with an IV drip connected to his arm, but it was shot in a way that didn’t show it.
There was another unintended consequence, as Jesse Ventura revealed to Graham Bensinger. Ventura plays Blain Cooper in Predator and has one of the most iconic lines from the whole movie: “I ain’t got time to bleed.” However, this scene was originally not meant to be shot. When Schwarzenegger got sick, they decided to film it. The rest, as they say, is movie history.
Ironically, Schwarzenegger didn’t list any situation from Predator as one of the most dangerous from his acting career. Instead, he pointed to two terrifying incidents from The 6th Day and True Lies. The former, in particular, is everybody’s worst nightmare.
“On The 6th Day, there was a scene where I hide underwater behind embryos,” Schwarzenegger wrote. “I did a rehearsal with goggles and everything went fine. But when we actually shot, I couldn’t see because the water was milky. So I ran out of air and went to the top and realized I didn’t know where to get out. I was trapped. Then a hand grabbed me and pulled me out. It was my stunt double, Billy Lucas. He’d been watching from below with a tank and goggles and realized I was in big, big trouble.”
If anything, Schwarzenegger’s stories demonstrate how far action stars were willing to go for the sake of entertaining the fans – including dealing with the runs.
Predator is currently available to stream on Disney+, with rental options on Apple TV, Amazon, and YouTube.
Predator |
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A team of commandos on a mission in a Central American jungle find themselves hunted by an extraterrestrial warrior. |
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| Studio: 20th Century Fox, Lawrence Gordon Productions, Silver Pictures, Davis Entertainment, Amercent Films, American Entertainment, Partners L.P. |
| Running Time: 1h 47m |
| Release Date: June 12, 1987 |
| Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Kevin Peter Hall, Elpidia Carrillo, Bill Duke, Jesse Ventura, Sonny Landham, Richard Chaves, R.G. Armstrong, Shane Black |
| Director: John McTiernan |
| Writers: Jim Thomas, John Thomas |
| Genre: Action, Adventure, Horror |
| Box Office: $98.3 million |
