Arnold Schwarzenegger is back to gunning down bad guys in action movies and insists he has no intention of returning to politics.
It's been three since Schwarzenegger returned to acting after serving two terms as governor of California.
Though his films Escape Plan and The Last Stand failed at the box office last year, the 66-year-old actor is committed to his Hollywood comeback.
He plays the vengeful leader of a DEA special operations team in the gritty, sometimes gruesome Sabotage, to be released in Australian cinemas on May 1. He'll be in this year's The Expendables 3, he's set to return to his cyborg assassin character in a new Terminator film that begins production next month, and he may make a sequel to his 1988 comedy Twins.
Appearing relaxed in a green polo shirt at the Sabotage press junket, Schwarzenegger talked about going dark for his latest character and the importance of making hit movies.
Q: CAN YOU SEE YOURSELF RUNNING FOR ELECTED OFFICE AGAIN?
A: No. I have no interest in running for anything. I've done that. I never wanted to be a career politician. I always am interested just to take on challenges that everyone says are impossible to do and to take it on. Right now I'm back into acting. I said 'I'll be back' and I'm back. And that's what I love to do.
Q: YOU SHOT THIS MOVIE ABOUT A YEAR AFTER LEAVING OFFICE. WHEN YOU'RE ON THE SET, HOW MUCH ARE YOU STILL DEALING WITH POLITICS?
A: I have an assistant who will block all phone calls so that I can work and really focus on the film. ... I can multitask very well. But I know exactly when to block off anything coming in from the outside and just stay focused on the film.
Q: HAVE YOU EVER PLAYED THIS DARK BEFORE?
A: No. I don't remember ever doing any role that was ... as dark as this character was. I mean, in End of Days I think I played a little bit of a dark character but I think this one was by far the darkest and also the most complex character, with his own faults and his own twisted way of thinking.
Q: YOUR LAST FEW FILMS HAVE NOT DONE WELL IN THE US BUT HAVE DONE PRETTY WELL INTERNATIONALLY. HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO YOU THAT THIS FILM AND FUTURE FILMS BE A SUCCESS AT THE BOX OFFICE?
A: I mean, we all like to be successful. And you want to make sure that everyone loves what you do. So this is very important. Now do you ever have a guarantee? No, because this is what makes life so wonderful. I like to have no safety net. I don't like to have guarantees. I think every time you do something, I like the idea of being out there, raw, and kind of like let the people be the judge. And you take the consequences. Sometimes you don't choose the right script or sometimes you don't choose the right character. And other times you do.
Q: ARE WE DOING ENOUGH WITH WHAT'S GOING ON WITH RUSSIA AND CRIMEA?
A: Well I don't get involved in this foreign policy stuff. But I think what they all need now is to just stop whatever they're doing and watch the movie Sabotage.
