Little-known mistakes and bloopers in True Lies
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.
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.