Imagine swapping Arnold Schwarzenegger in as the main character in a Clint Eastwood movie. That is exactly what could have happened if one major controversy hadn’t occurred. Back in 2011, Cry Macho was set to star Schwarzenegger, but it didn’t come to fruition. If it hadn’t been for the personal controversy that engulfed the Terminator star’s life a decade ago.
For those who don’t remember, Arnold Schwarzenegger was found to have had an affair with his maid. News broke that Schwarzenegger didn’t just cheat on Maria Shriver. The affair led to a love child with the maid. Schwarzenegger lost the role in Cry Macho and the rest is history.
Clint Eastwood will play Mike Milo, the main character in the movie coming out soon. When the premise of the movie is explained, there are some unsettling parallels between Milo and the originally cast star. Milo is a retired rodeo star, with a troubled past.
As a big, tough cowboy, Mike Milo makes his way around to many towns. Amid his many affairs, his wife left him. Then, at the end of his rope, he takes a dangerous job. An ex-boss asks Milo to travel down to Mexico to kidnap his 11-year-old son. Milo travels with the boy and the two become friends on the way back to Texas.
If Arnold Schwarzenegger had played Mike Milo the parallels would have been striking. Schwarzenegger, a retired bodybuilder and at-the-time retired actor, Milo a washed-up rodeo star. Both had their issues with women. The age of the boy is roughly the same as Schwarzenegger’s estranged son. The boy in Cry Macho was 11 while Schwarzenegger’s son was 13 when the story broke.
Clint Eastwood as Mike Milo
When one watches the Cry Macho trailer with Clint Eastwood, it is hard to imagine replacing him with Arnold Schwarzenegger. The 91-year-old is so slender and, well old. When compared to Schwarzenegger’s large and massive body it would be strange to see the two swap.
Movies come and go. Sometimes movies are announced and never produced. That is what happened with this title, until now. Clint Eastwood gets the honor of bringing the 1975 novel of the same name to life on screen. N. Richard Nash, the novel’s author has attempted to get the story as a feature film, but until now it has been delayed or canceled.
Fans will notice that country music star Dwight Yoakam stars alongside Clint Eastwood and others. Eastwood, the western legend, will bring grittiness and his usual tough-guy vibe to the movie. Watching Eastwood play a drug runner in The Mule was very fun and entertaining. Now, watching him smuggle a child into America should be quite the adventure.
Traveling Mexico into the American southwest can be dangerous in general. Throw in the prospect of running into cartels, police, immigration officials, and likely more, this should be a must-watch for fans of Clint Eastwood.
