Schwarzenegger: Why 'Sabotage' Is His Most Violent Film Yet
While Arnold Schwarzenegger’s post-politics return to acting has brought us the R-rated action flicks “The Last Stand” and “Escape Plan,” neither of those films earned its movie rating quite like his latest, “Sabotage.”
The film, directed by David Ayer (“End of Watch”), revolves around an elite DEA task force whose members — an all-star ensemble that includes Joe Manganiello (“Magic Mike”), Sam Worthington (“Avatar”), Terrence Howard (“Iron Man”), Mireille Enos (“The Killing”), and Josh Holloway (“Lost”) — become murder targets after the team loots a drug cartel safe house.
It is brutal, dirty business and Schwarzenegger says it’s the most violent movie he’s ever made, which is saying a lot.
[Related: Watch the Trailer for ‘Sabotage’]
"It’s the most gritty and the most violent," Schwarzenegger told Yahoo Movies. "But also the most realistic movie because it really shows that sometimes it’s not black and white between the cartel and the people who fight the cartel."
Speaking to the film’s exploration of corruption, Manganiello added, “It was eye-opening getting to understand how the world of drugs works. Where they’re made, distributed, where the money goes. That’s probably the most fascinating thing to me, who has their hand in the cookie jar.”
Added Ayer, “It’s kind of a movie about if you fight bad guys, does a little bit of bad guy end up with you?”
Given the level of violence, we wanted to know what the stars’ mothers will think when they see it.
"No. Nope," Holloway said immediately, indicating that his mother will not be attending any screenings with her son. "My mom is very Christian and just the language alone would send her to church all week."
Manganiello said his mom has seen him do plenty of R-rated things onscreen before. “She has had to sit through ‘True Blood’ and ‘Magic Mike.’ I’m guessing she’s probably numb to it all by now. There’s not much I can do to shock my mom anymore.”
[Related: Joe Manganiello: Everyone Looks ‘Psycho’ With Schwarzenegger In ‘Sabotage’]
All serious talk of violence and grit and corruption aside, we wanted to know which cast member does the best Arnold impression. The answer was unanimous: Manganiello.
"Oh yeah, Joe is excellent," Schwarzenegger said with a grin.
Manganiello, true to his co-stars’ and director’s word, does not disappoint with his Schwarzenegger. “Look at you, you’re all pumped up,” the actor said, in pitch-perfect Arnold speak. “Look at the delts and the triceps and the back, you’re all pumped.”
What does the former Governator think of all the impressions of him? And is there a warm-up period or getting-to-know-him time period before it’s “OK” to mimic him?
"I think you don’t have to know me," Schwarzenegger said with a twinkle in his eye. "You hear me often enough on television and radio that you don’t have to know me, you just have to be aware of me."
"Sabotage" opens Friday.
