Just under 30 years since its release, True Lies remains subjectively one of the greatest action movies of the ‘90s. With incredible set pieces, terrorism and one tantalizing strip tease — thankfully not featuring Tom Arnold — True Lies is a thrilling and quite funny masterpiece from James Cameron. And while we never got a sequel, we did recently get a reunion with stars Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis.
Schwarzenegger and Curtis recently reunited at a charity event over the weekend, with the latter — who played Helen Tasker, wife to Arnold’s Harry — posting photos on Instagram to document the occasion.
As per People, Arnold Schwarzenegger praised his True Lies co-star as “most extraordinary actress” with a talent for “[kicking] some serious ass”, which she absolutely did in True Lies. He also took time to praise the importance of her role in the movie. “When you go online and you check out Jamie Lee Curtis, you can see all the wonderful things they’re saying about her…But there’s always one thing that really pisses me off, and that is when they say that she is a supporting actress in the movie True Lies…Because she wasn’t supporting — she was the female lead. She was the star. She was starring with me.”
Schwarzenegger’s point here is a mildly contested one but most evidence points to Jamie Lee Curtis being a lead in True Lies. Still, while she earned nods in lead categories from the likes of the Golden Globes, the Saturn Awards and the American Comedy Awards, the Screen Actors Guild put her in the supporting category in its inaugural year. She would later win that category for Everything Everywhere All at Once.
With a number of James Cameron films confirmed or rumored for 4K home video releases, here’s hoping True Lies gets its due for its 30th anniversary next year.
A sequel to True Lies had been on the table since the late ‘90s but it has yet to come to fruition, with many citing the events of September 11th as a key reason. Even still, a short-lived TV series came to be earlier this year but it had nothing on the original movie.
Where do you think True Lies ranks in James Cameron’s filmography? Which category do you think Jamie Lee Curtis best fit for the movie? Let us know below!