Arnold Schwarzenegger Turned Down This Blockbuster Role—And Regrets It to This Day

Arnold Schwarzenegger has enjoyed one of the most illustrious careers in Hollywood, but even the iconic action star has moments of regret. Despite his long list of blockbuster hits and critical acclaim, Schwarzenegger has admitted that there’s one role in particular that he wishes he had accepted — a decision that could have changed the trajectory of his career.

In an interview with The Sun, Schwarzenegger revealed that he was offered the role of FBI agent Stanley Goodspeed in the 1996 action blockbuster The Rock, a film that went on to gross a staggering $335 million worldwide. The role, which ultimately went to Nicolas Cage, launched Cage’s career into the action genre and became one of his most beloved performances. However, at the time, Schwarzenegger didn’t think the script was up to par.

“Jerry Bruckheimer came to me with the script for The Rock that Sean Connery and Nicolas Cage ended up doing,” Schwarzenegger explained. “I was offered the Nicolas Cage part.” However, he wasn’t impressed with the initial script, which he described as a rough draft filled with scribbles and handwritten notes. “I looked at this script and said, ‘What is that? I can’t commit to that. Why don’t you get your act together and come back with a good script?’”

The script for The Rock was far from polished when Schwarzenegger first saw it. The disorganized nature of the draft left him unconvinced, and he turned it down. Little did he know, the script would undergo significant revisions, including a major rewrite by none other than Quentin Tarantino, and the involvement of director Michael Bay, who had just come off the success of Bad Boys. With the script in better shape, Cage agreed to take on the role, which paired him with Sean Connery as the only man to have ever escaped Alcatraz, setting the stage for a high-octane action thriller.

When Schwarzenegger finally saw the finished film, he was shocked by how well it turned out. “I really loved that movie; I thought it turned out fantastic,” he said, reflecting on the final product. Despite his initial reservations, the film became a major hit, earning both critical and commercial success. In hindsight, Schwarzenegger admitted that he regretted turning down the role, especially given Cage’s brilliant performance.

“By the way, Nicolas Cage did an extraordinary job,” Schwarzenegger acknowledged. “I don’t know if I’d be able to do as good a job as he did, but I was mad that I turned down that role because it was really a great role.”

Schwarzenegger’s regret over The Rock is particularly significant given the context of his career at the time. By the mid-1990s, his grip on the action movie throne was beginning to slip. Films like Jingle All the Way and Eraser had mixed critical reception, and the disastrous Batman & Robin (in which he played Mr. Freeze) was a major blow to his status as the top action star in Hollywood. Had he accepted the role in The Rock, it’s easy to imagine that his action career would have stayed on a more upward trajectory.

It’s also fascinating to consider what could have been in an alternate universe where Schwarzenegger took the role of Stanley Goodspeed. Would he have followed it up with movies like Con Air and Face/Off, which Cage made iconic? Would those films have bolstered Schwarzenegger’s position as the undisputed king of action films? As it stands, Cage’s iconic performances in these roles cemented his place in action movie history, while Schwarzenegger’s career continued with mixed success in films like End of Days and Collateral Damage.

Ultimately, while Schwarzenegger’s regret over The Rock may be a lingering one, his career remains a testament to his resilience and versatility. From The Terminator to Total Recall to The Expendables, he remains one of Hollywood’s most recognizable and successful stars. Even if he didn’t land The Rock, there’s no denying that Schwarzenegger’s career is far from defined by one missed opportunity.