Schwarzenegger NOT Miscast?

[riddler]

It could have been a lot more effective if Freezes motivation were a mystery. I would have had him serious not have a lot of dialogue overall. Give him an actual cold personality and have Batman find out later in the film that he is stealing diamonds for his wife.

[BatmanReturns88]

Clooney speaks very highly about how welcoming Arnold was on set despite Clooney being a newcomer to the big screen.

Really ? I have never seen quotes by Clooney about working with Arnold. That's cool to know, though

[riddler]

Clooney speaks very highly about how welcoming Arnold was on set despite Clooney being a newcomer to the big screen.

Really ? I have never seen quotes by Clooney about working with Arnold. That's cool to know, though

Nothing recent but I watched a few promotions at the time of release such as a spot on Leno, basically the context of his quote was "I was a newcomer to the screen and Arnold went out of his way to welcome and accept me, he didn't have to and I have nothing but good things to say about him". They did work together on an environmental project while Arnold was governor about 10 years later.

[Wayne49]

As much as Arnold is noted for being the Terminator and Conan, I honestly believe he will be equally known for playing Freeze and I doubt it will be frowned on when he's gone. He captured the spirit of the villain using his own brand of delivery. I think people have come to embrace his role in this film and honestly who doesn't know all of his lines? That kind of speaks for itself.

[thecolorsblend]

Arnold didn't give an Oscar-winning performance in B&R. But it still takes a lot of skill to perform the way he did. Playing a little over the top in a fun and zany way is hard as hell to do. People who make fun of that performance are mostly accustomed to more modern, Methody types of acting. Arnold is demonstrating some really solid range and talent. It isn't a "serious" performance, no, but it's still top shelf acting. Underrated.

[Catwoman]

Glad to see this post resurface, I had been thinking about this. And yes Arnold could have been so good at it if it had been written right. He still was good at what was written. I adore him (I hate some of the things he's done in his personal life, but I can't bring myself to hate him, and he's tried to make up for those things anyway), and yes like was said before it feels like such a wasted chance that his ties to Batman will always be considered a joke. Maybe someday there'll be another chance for him.

[Wayne49]

Glad to see this post resurface, I had been thinking about this. And yes Arnold could have been so good at it if it had been written right. He still was good at what was written. I adore him (I hate some of the things he's done in his personal life, but I can't bring myself to hate him, and he's tried to make up for those things anyway), and yes like was said before it feels like such a wasted chance that his ties to Batman will always be considered a joke. Maybe someday there'll be another chance for him.

I think had they tried to make him more serious, it might have been even hokier than what it was. I believe that treatment was pretty much what it needed to be for such an outrageous character. Mr. Freeze is very much a creation for comics. Why not have fun with it? I think Arnold will always be remembered for it in a fun way. I think Schumacher takes the chief blame for dialogue, not the actors.

[Catwoman]

I don't think he has to be outrageous and cartoony. There's a reason "Heart of Ice" is one of the most beloved episodes of BTAS.

[riddler]

Victor Freeze has an interesting and unique story as well as a believable motivation. He's only a joke of a villain when he's treated as one. I don't blame Arnold for his dialogue, ultimately Shumacher is the one who had the final say on the dialogue and thus the one who should be blamed for the excess puns. Arnold showed what he could bring to the role when the character shows rage or sadness, too bad they didn't have more of that in the film. It's too bad they reduced his backstory to a short clip.

[Wayne49]

I don't think he has to be outrageous and cartoony. There's a reason "Heart of Ice" is one of the most beloved episodes of BTAS.

Understood, but I believe to fit into Schumacher's world he has to be a bit more over-the-top. I remember everyone wanting Arnold for this role because of his popularity at the time for one-liners. Everyone loved the idea and thought it was a perfect casting choice. I think in this case, they just overdid it with the one-liners. But his origin was pretty well serviced in terms of a comic book style and he looks great in the part. I mean who doesn't like his look in this movie? He's easily one of the best designed villains in Batman's cinematic history. Schumacher just didn't give him much to do except emote goofy puns, so we have to place that on the director. 

Yes, had they toned that down and focused more on real character development, we could have seen a more sophisticated villain in the part. But in terms of appearance, Arnold really steals the show here. I can't think of him any other way. I'm sure if this character is revisited in the DC Universe they will purposely run from this design, which is too bad. It really works IMHO.