Jamie Lee Curtis was wow. But I never knew she was so wow – until I recently rewatched her in True Lies.
This 1994 movie blended action, comedy, and drama in a way that captivated audiences and made it a cult classic.
But did you know that the film nearly killed its lead character, Arnold Schwarzenegger? And did you catch Jamie Lee Curtis’s unforgettable revealing underwear bloopers?
True Lies has always been one of my favorites. Being born in the ’80s, I’ve probably seen it over 10 times. Great storyline, awesome action, and fantastic actors. It might even be my favorite Arnold Schwarzenegger film. For those who haven’t seen it, here’s a quick recap:
The film follows Harry Tasker, a seemingly ordinary man who leads a secret life as a government spy. When his bored wife, played by Jamie Lee Curtis, unknowingly gets caught up in his dangerous world, it leads to a mix of action, suspense, and comedy.
It’s worth noting that True Lies also features a strong supporting cast, including Tom Arnold, Bill Paxton, Art Malik, and Tia Carrere, all of whom deliver memorable performances that add to the charm of this classic film.
Schwarzenegger’s near-fatal accident on set
During the intense horse-riding scene in True Lies, Arnold Schwarzenegger had a terrifying near-miss that could’ve ended in disaster.
As the cameras rolled, his horse suddenly got spooked and bolted out of control. With no time to react, Arnold had to think fast — he managed to slide off the saddle, but in the worst possible spot, just inches from a 30-foot drop.
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The chaos started when the crew set up a shot where the horse had to stop at the edge of a building. To give it more room, they built a small ramp. But while measuring the new distance to the camera, someone accidentally dropped the camera arm — right onto the horse’s nose. The startled animal panicked, spinning and rearing on a ramp that was only four feet wide, with no railing.
”I realized it was a bad situation and slid off the horse right away, and a stuntman grabbed me,” Schwarzenegger later recalled. ”If the horse stepped a foot the wrong way, we would have fallen 90 feet onto a cement floor.”
The funniest lines in True Lies
One of the funniest lines in True Lies has a surprisingly real backstory.
When Harry Tasker confides in his partner Gib about suspecting his wife of having an affair, Albert Gibson, played by Tom Arnold, responds with a bitter rant about his own divorce. He recalls how his ex-wife took everything when she left — ”even the ice cube trays from the freezer!”
What makes this moment even better is that it wasn’t just a scripted joke — it was inspired by real life. At the time, Tom Arnold was going through a messy divorce from Roseanne Barr, and, as it turns out, she really did take the ice cube trays when she moved out.
Arnold had vented about it to director James Cameron on set, saying, “What kind of sick bitch takes the ice cube trays out of the freezer?” Cameron found the line so hilarious that he decided to work it into the script.
The audition joke that won Tom Arnold a role
Speaking of Tom Arnold, many might not know that he never actually expected to land a role in True Lies. He only went to the audition for a chance to meet director James Cameron.
During the audition, he read some scenes with Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Cameron immediately picked up on their natural chemistry. Afterward, Tom jokingly told Cameron, ”[Schwarzenegger]’s not that big, I think I can take him.” That unexpected comment cracked Cameron up — and just like that, Tom had secured the role.
Tom Arnold later mentioned that he had the same great chemistry with Arnold Schwarzenegger off-screen as they did on-screen. They became good friends during the filming of True Lies.
Tony’s little girl
When it came to casting Helen Tasker in True Lies, James Cameron had his heart set on Jamie Lee Curtis, but Arnold Schwarzenegger wasn’t immediately on board.
Cameron had known Curtis for years, having previously worked with her on Blue Steel (1990), directed by his ex-wife Kathryn Bigelow. Cameron always admired her talent and was eager to work with her again. However, when he brought her up for the role, Schwarzenegger wasn’t convinced. The iconic action star wasn’t sure Curtis was the right fit for Helen, and in an effort not to upset his friend, Arnold had his agent relay the message to Cameron.
Respecting Schwarzenegger’s opinion, Cameron auditioned many actresses for the role, but after watching Curtis’s memorable performance in A Fish Called Wanda (1988), he was certain she was the one. Cameron, trusting his instincts, decided to make his bold move. He went to Schwarzenegger and simply asked, “Do you trust me?” When Arnold confirmed, Cameron told him, “It’s going to be Jamie.” Despite his initial reservations, Arnold reluctantly agreed.
In hindsight, it’s been said that the age gap was a concern for the Terminator star. Arnold was 11 years older than Jamie Lee Curtis, but what truly mattered to him was the deep respect he had for Jamie’s father, the legendary actor Tony Curtis.
”I think he knew me as Tony’s little girl. I think it might have been a little weird for him having to make out with Tony’s daughter,” Jamie Lee Curtis once explained.
Truth about the erotic dance
One of the most iconic and hilarious moments in True Lies happens when Helen tries to do an erotic dance and ends up tumbling to the ground. To spice up their marriage, Harry convinces Helen to join him on a fake spy mission at a hotel.
This leads to the famous striptease scene, where Helen thinks she’s seducing a fictional spy, which turns out to be her husband Harry.
First, Jamie begins dancing seductively to the romantic ballad “Alone in the Dark.”
But as the tension builds, her hand slips off the bedpost, causing her to unexpectedly fall to the floor mid-dance.
It turns out that while most of True Lies was carefully scripted and rehearsed, the striptease scene wasn’t quite as polished.
In a podcast interview, Curtis shared, “The thing that nobody knows: There was no rehearsal, there is no choreographer. Jim [James Cameron] said to me, ‘What do you want to dance to?’” She chose John Hiatt’s “Alone in the Dark” and explained that she danced in the scene the same way she would if she were at home alone.
A deliberate decision
After deciding the song, Jamie Lee Curtis actually rehearsed the iconic dance scene extensively with director James Cameron before shooting it.
During these rehearsals, the idea for Helen’s fall in the middle of the dance was conceived — not as a spontaneous accident, as many have believed, but as a deliberate decision made ahead of time. Arnold Schwarzenegger, however, wasn’t informed about the planned fall before filming.
In the scene, there’s a subtle moment when Harry (Schwarzenegger) briefly sits up in shock, quickly realizes he’s breaking character, and then relaxes. This reaction wasn’t planned, making it clear that the fall was a surprise for him.
For example, Arnold Schwarzenegger wasn’t supposed to drop the tape recorder, but James Cameron liked the moment so much that he decided to keep it in the film.
When they filmed another take of the same gag, Schwarzenegger’s response didn’t feel as genuine, which highlights the true spontaneity of the moment.
This behind-the-scenes insight adds a layer of magic to the scene, proving that while the comedy was carefully crafted, the surprise for everyone — especially Schwarzenegger — was very real.
”I hated every hour of it”
Speaking of that iconic scene, which is arguably the most famous in the whole film, did you know that the bra and matching panties worn by Helen Tasker during the striptease scene were actually Jamie Lee Curtis’s own? Bet you didn’t expect that!
Another fun detail is when Arnold Schwarzenegger was asked in an interview if his wife was bothered by him sitting there watching Jamie Lee Curtis strip, he humorously replied that she did ask him about it.
Arnold reassured her, saying, ”Honey, I hated every hour of it!”
Less revealing underwear
Although Helen is still wearing the same outfit she had on when she was kidnapped after her striptease for Harry in the hotel, when she’s in the back of the limo during the bridge demolition scene, she’s suddenly wearing less revealing underwear.
Looks like a quick wardrobe change somehow slipped in during the chaos —definitely not something that happens every day! It’s a small but funny continuity hiccup in all the action.
A dance of nerve and dedication
Jamie Lee Curtis won a Golden Globe for her role as Helen Tasker, but the striptease scene in True Lies followed her for a long time.
The scene faced some criticism, with some viewers seeing it as misogynistic. However, director James Cameron later revealed that Curtis played a significant role in shaping how the scene unfolded. Initially, the plan was for Helen to strip completely in the dark, showing only her silhouette.
Curtis, however, suggested doing the scene in full light while keeping her underwear on. She even demonstrated this approach to Cameron, who remarked that it reminded him of why he loved his job. Interestingly, while many men criticized the scene, most female reviewers found it empowering and even liberating for Helen.
Jamie Lee Curtis has called True Lies “without question, the greatest experience of my professional life so far.” However, filming the iconic striptease scene took quite a toll on her.
“Please, to say I wasn’t neurotic as any woman would be who was going to do that dance! To say I didn’t diet. To say I didn’t go to the gym. I did a lot of leg lifts, squats, anything to firm up my body, because I was about to be photographed for the rest of time in my G-string and bra!”
Schwarzenegger’s unexpected gesture
Schwarzenegger, ever the professional, didn’t let his initial reluctance affect his attitude toward Curtis on set. In fact, Arnold was so impressed with her performance that when it came time to finalize the billing for the movie, he surprised everyone by showing a lot of class.
Originally, Arnold was slated to have top billing, followed by the title, then Jamie Lee Curtis’s name. However, after watching the final cut, Cameron realized the film wasn’t just about the action — it was fundamentally about the relationship between the two lead characters.
He saw it as a “domestic epic” that revolved around a marriage, making Jamie Lee Curtis an equally important part of the story. So, Cameron called up Schwarzenegger and asked if he would be okay with placing Curtis’s name before the title, right next to his.
Without hesitation, Schwarzenegger agreed. As Curtis herself put it, in the cutthroat world of show business, credit is everything, and for Arnold to make this move was a “real mensch move on his part.” In an industry where actors can sometimes be protective over their billing, Schwarzenegger’s gesture was a rare and admirable display of respect and generosity.
This behind-the-scenes story not only speaks to the chemistry between Arnold and Jamie Lee Curtis on screen but also highlights the kind of camaraderie and respect that often goes unnoticed behind the scenes.
”They’re both good with comedy; they’re both very physical. They seem to somehow balance each other out very well,” Cameron said after he did the movie.
Shaping the character
Jamie Lee Curtis was deeply involved in shaping her character from the early stages of the script. Two key suggestions she made helped enhance Helen’s role and storyline. First, she pushed for Helen to remain unaware of Harry’s double life. In the original script, Helen was already in on Harry’s spy antics. Curtis believed that keeping Helen in the dark would make the revelation more comedic and surprising, adding an extra layer of conflict and humor to their relationship.
Second, Curtis advocated for more scenes showing Harry and Helen bickering and arguing over his deceptions, with eventual moments of reconciliation. She felt that these emotionally honest moments would give their relationship greater depth, making it resonate more with the audience.
Director James Cameron agreed with her vision and reworked the script to incorporate these changes. As a result, Helen’s character became more dynamic, offering a blend of comedy, drama, and genuine emotional conflict as she processed the shocking truth about Harry’s secret life.
The hanging from a helicopter-scene
Curtis also insisted on doing her own stunts. While Arnold Schwarzenegger dealt with his own dangerous stunt work involving runaway horses, Curtis faced her own high-flying challenges. One of the most memorable stunts involved her hanging from a helicopter, 250 feet in the air at 60 mph.
Initially, James Cameron was hesitant, but Curtis was determined.
“I was willing to do all of it,” she said of the experience. “I’m willing to do almost anything, I have no fear of heights.”
On the day of the shoot, Curtis was suspended from a helicopter skid with no safety nets, while Cameron filmed her with a handheld camera from outside the aircraft. Both director and actress were willing to risk their lives for the shot, creating one of the most intense, heart-pounding action sequences ever filmed.
Third-highest-grossing film of 1994
True Lies was a massive blockbuster success, raking in over $378 million worldwide, making it the third-highest-grossing film of 1994, trailing only The Lion King and Forrest Gump. Not bad for a film that saw Jamie Lee Curtis stepping out of her usual roles and Arnold Schwarzenegger delivering some seriously iconic lines!
Interestingly, it was during the production of True Lies in 1993 that James Cameron met his future Titanic and Avatar co-producer Jon Landau. In July 2024, Cameron shared that Landau, who was the studio ”suit” overseeing True Lies, played a key role in making the film even better through some crucial rewrites.
True Lies certainly sparked a lot of debate over the years—whether it’s about its portrayal of gender roles, the balance between comedy and action, or the intense stunts that are hard to forget. Some argue that the striptease scene was empowering, showing Helen’s willingness to take control of a dangerous situation, while others believe it played into a tired trope of women being objectified for the sake of humor.
And of course, there’s the action! Was it a bit too far-fetched or was it one of the most thrilling action-comedies of the ’90s? Was Arnold Schwarzenegger’s portrayal of a loving yet secretive spy relatable, or did it lean too much into the typical action hero persona?
Do you think True Lies holds up today, or has the world changed enough where its themes could be seen differently? Would love to hear what everyone thinks!
