Arnold Schwarzenegger Was Attacked by a Wolf Filming This Breakout Movie

While actors like Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, Jean-Claude Van Damme, and Dolph Lundgren all had a tremendous impact on the genre, no one dominated 1980s action cinema quite like Arnold Schwarzenegger. The former bodybuilder delivered a series of all-time classic action films thanks to his incredible physicality and undeniable charisma, elevating action cinema into a true art form during the height of his stardom. Although Schwarzenegger is often most closely associated with his titular role in The Terminator franchise and his outrageous performance in the original Predator, it was the 1982 fantasy epic Conan the Barbarian that established him as the star he is today. While it was the breakout role that proved his merits, Schwarzenegger was put in legitimate danger when he was attacked by a wolf on the set of Conan the Barbarian.

Conan the Barbarian (1982)

A young boy, Conan, becomes a slave after his parents are killed and tribe destroyed by a savage warlord and sorcerer, Thulsa Doom. When he grows up he becomes a fearless, invincible fighter. Set free, he plots revenge against Thulsa Doom.

Release Date

May 14, 1982

Director

John Milius

Runtime

129 minutes

Filming ‘Conan the Barbarian’ Was Almost Deadly for Arnold Schwarzenegger

Directed by John Milius, Conan the Barbarian is a sword and sorcery fantasy epic that is set within the prehistoric “Hyborian Age” after the fall of Atlantis. The film follows the barbarian warrior Conan, who seeks revenge on the ruthless warrior Thulsa Doom (James Earl Jones) for the murder of his parents. Although he is sold into slavery as a child, Conan begins honing his skills as a warrior by engaging in gladiatorial combat rings and eventually earns his freedom. This inspires him to join forces with a group of fearsome warriors to take vengeance upon Doom and his snake cult. Conan the Barbarian was a physically demanding production that required a dynamic performance in the titular role. Although his acting resume was relatively thin at the time he was cast as the lead, Schwarzenegger’s imposing physicality made him uniquely suited for the role.

Due to the importance that the action sequences played within the story, Schwarzenegger had to perform most of the Conan the Barbarian stunts himself. Schwarzenegger revealed that since there were no stuntmen on set that matched his physicality, he had to perform nearly all the film’s most dangerous sequences practically. Between horseback riding, extensive sword fights, and scaling large cliffs, Conan the Barbarian forced Schwarzenegger to embody the same animalistic rage that drove his character. While this certainly made the experience of shooting Conan the Barbarian a challenge, it gave Schwarzenegger a unique set of skills that would make him perfectly suited for the titular role in James Cameron’ The Terminator.

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The director originally had a much different role for him in mind.

The realism within Conan the Barbarian’s production didn’t come without consequences, as Schwarzenegger was attacked by a wolf during the filming of a major stunt. A real wolf was used in a sequence where Conan was fleeing on to a rock structure, but the crew accidentally released the animal too early. After the wolf pursued Schwarzengger and caught up with him, he fell backwards into a rose bush and was cut. While the accident left Schwarzenegger with a major wound in his back, he admitted that “those sorts of injuries happened all the time throughout the entire movie.” Thankfully, Schwarzenegger’s hard work paid off, as Conan the Barbarian became one of the best and most commercially successful films in the packed 1982 summer movie season.

‘Conan the Barbarian’ Wasn’t Schwarzenegger’s Only Injury

While his dynamic performance successfully showcased his talent, Conan the Barbarian established a precedent that Schwarzenegger could perform his own stunts. While this made him an increasingly viable box office draw for audiences that appreciated the dedication Schwarzenegger put into his work, it led to several other instances where he put himself in danger for the sake of a stunt. Between cutting his wrist during a chase sequence in Total Recall, nearly drowning while making The 6th Day, and filming within the oppressive jungle for Predator, Schwarzenegger was often in just as much danger as his characters were. It’s impressive that he managed to sustain such critical damage to his body and still deliver the charismatic performances that make him so endearing.

Although he never entirely abandoned the action genre that he’d built his career on, Schwarzenegger began exploring the comedy genre in the 1990s and took on less physically demanding roles. While it was an ambitious decision that threatened to disorient his core audience, Schwarzenegger proved to be just as adept with comedy as he was with action. While films like the controversial holiday classic Jingle All The Way allowed him to reach a more family-friendly audience, his self-deprecating role in Kindergarten Cop allowed him to poke fun at the type of characters he usually played in his action roles. Although he took a brief break from acting altogether during her tenure as the Governor of California, Schwarzenegger has returned to the action genre in recent years with The Last Stand, Escape Plan, Sabotage, and the Netflix series Fubar.

What’s Next for the ‘Conan’ Franchise?

Although the 1982 original film is still heralded as one of the most important films in Schwarzenegger’s career, Conan the Barbarian failed to succeed as a franchise due to a series of creatively inept follow-ups. The 1984 sequel Conan the Destroyer was maligned for its overtly goofy tone, which contrasted the grim realism of the first installment. While the 2011 reboot Conan the Barbarian gave Jason Momoa his breakout role, the Aquaman star admitted that the film was a major disappointment. Despite an R-rating and a more fleshed-out story, the reimagining of the character lacked the deep mythology and practical filmmaking that had defined the first film’s success.

Schwarzeneggar has teased another sequel titled The Legend of Conan, which would allow him to reprise his iconic role in a darker story that he compared to Clint Eastwood’s neo-western Unforgiven. Despite Schwarzenegger’s enthusiasm for the project, progress on The Legend of Conan has stalled amidst rights disputes. It wouldn’t be the first time that Schwarzenegger returned to one of his most iconic characters after an extended period, as he reprised his role as the T-1000 in the sci-fi sequels Terminator: Genisys and Terminator: Dark Fate. However, Conan the Barbarian was created under such unique circumstances that it would be hard to imagine a new entry could completely reinvent the series.

Conan the Barbarian is streaming on Prime Video in the U.S.

Watch on Prime Video