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Arnold Schwarzenegger recently shared a heartfelt gesture he extended to his personal heroes: the veterans of the United States. The iconic actor, known for his role in The Terminator, revealed on Instagram his efforts to bring a little cinematic joy to veterans.
At 78, Schwarzenegger took action after discovering that the screening room at the local Veterans Affairs center was out of service. In response, he arranged a special screening of The Running Man for them. This film, which is a remake starring Glen Powell, pays homage to Schwarzenegger’s original 1987 classic.
Schwarzenegger, originally from Austria, recounted, “When I was at the VA on Veterans Day, celebrating with my heroes, I found out their theater was not operational, and they had no place to enjoy movies.”
Determined to make a difference, the veteran action star reached out to his connections at Skydance and Paramount. His goal was to secure a screening of The Running Man for the veterans in a top-notch facility.
“I asked if we could host these real-life action heroes in their elegant screening room to watch The Running Man, a film I had enjoyed there,” Schwarzenegger explained. He was met with enthusiasm, as they readily agreed to his request.
The Total Recall star continued explaining the course of events that led to the screening for the veterans.
Arnold Schwarzenegger, 78, opened up about an act of kindness he recently completed on behalf of his heroes – United States veterans. Pictured in Orange, California last month
‘I rented two buses to pick everyone up at the VA last night, and a week after hearing about the problem, we had a solution,’ Schwarzenegger said.
The FUBAR actor said that the veterans ‘got a great night they deserved’ – pointing out it was the product of specific actions he took as opposed to just complaining.
‘I wanted to share this because we all have power if we are willing to act,’ Schwarzenegger said.
He continued: ‘Most people would just post on social media: “it’s bogus our vets can’t watch movies at the VA”‘ adding ‘that doesn’t get them into a movie.’
The True Lies actor acknowledged his own resources and said that the acts of kindness didn’t need to be on such a huge scale to matter.
‘Sure, most people can’t get a screening room and buses,’ Schwarzenegger said. ‘But you could buy one veteran a movie ticket and do more good than any social media post.’
Schwarzenegger advised his 26.4 million followers to ‘do good, whenever you can.’
The former California governor added, ‘That’s your greatest power, and don’t let anyone take it away from you. Not government, not social media, not politicians.
Arnold took to Instagram Wednesday to inform the public that he had arranged for a luxe screening of The Running Man
Schwarzenegger advised his 26.4 million followers to ‘do good, whenever you can’
Said the action star, ‘When you want to complain about something bad, say, “What good can I do?”‘
‘When you want to complain about something bad, say, “what good can I do?”’
Schwarzenegger was praised for both his actions, and the important lesson he imparted, on the comment thread adjacent to the post.
Glen Powell left a comment on the Instagram post that read, ‘You’re one of a kind, Arnie. Thanks for bringing joy to the world and standing up for our heroes.’
Edgar Wright, director of The Running Man, wrote, ‘This is amazing!!! Thank you Arnold x.’
Another comment read, ‘What a legend!! Thank you Arnold for looking after the troops.’
A group of US veterans watched a screening of The Running Man Schwarzenegger arranged
The Running Man leading man Glen Powell left a comment on Instagram post that read, ‘You’re one of a kind, Arnie. Thanks for bringing joy to the world and standing up for our heroes’
At the screening, Schwarzenegger opened up about his experience in the initial Running Man film.
‘In 1987, we made the movie Running Man, and this was the decade where most of the greatest action movies were made,’ Schwarzenegger told the crowd. ‘And in most cases I am not happy about that — because they’re perfect movies.
‘But, I always say in my interviews there was one movie that I did that came out really well, but I felt like it didn’t have the budget to … paint the future this story takes place – and that movie was Running Man.
Schwarzenegger said, ‘It was very successful, but I always felt that it could be redone in a better way so we can paint the future better.’