Jamie Lee Curtis Saves Arnold Schwarzenegger in Epic ‘True Lies’ Reunion!

During a lengthy monologue about the Christmas film The Man with the Bag at the Amazon upfront event on Monday, Arnold Schwarzenegger was humorously interrupted by Jamie Lee Curtis.

Schwarzenegger enthusiastically promoted the film, albeit continually referring to it incorrectly as The Man in the Bag. Initially captivating the audience and receiving the evening’s loudest applause at the Beacon Theatre, his presentation soon turned into an extended discourse reminiscent of his days as the governor of California.

“Marketing, communicating to the masses, and publicity are paramount,” he declared to the audience of advertisers. “Even the best product is useless if people don’t know about it! You have absolutely nothing without visibility.”

As Schwarzenegger delivered his points with the intensity of a workout session, the audience began to chuckle awkwardly. Curtis subtly moved closer to him on stage. Although it was a planned moment, it seemed like an impromptu effort to encourage Schwarzenegger, who is 77, to conclude his talk.

“This is elder abuse!” Curtis joked as she gently took his arm.

The reunion of the two stars onstage provided an opportunity for them to reflect on their work in James Cameron’s 1994 action film True Lies, about a married couple involved in international espionage.

“It’s been thirty years since we were together,” Curtis remarked. “And now we’re here discussing advertising strategies. Unlike the film, we don’t need to go undercover to make a difference today,” she added. “We just need to highlight the advantages of Amazon’s comprehensive advertising approach.” Curtis and others poked fun at the corporate jargon used during the event, especially the term “full funnel,” which describes connecting an advertisement with a consumer’s stage in the buying process.

Curtis also mentioned that Schwarzenegger had agreed to have her name appear alongside his above the title in True Lies, in all marketing materials and the opening credits, a rare concession for a female co-star at the time. “Cameron suggested this because the film is about a marriage,” Curtis recalled. “And Arnold, who certainly could have declined, graciously agreed.”

The audience expressed their admiration for this gesture from decades past. Curtis then quipped, “Are you ready to terminate this segment?” drawing hearty laughter. “It might have stretched on just a bit.”

As she signaled to the wings for Alan Moss, the next and final speaker of the night, to come on stage, she paused when she saw Schwarzenegger had one more line. “Hold on, don’t come!” she directed Moss. Schwarzenegger concluded with, “We’ll be back,” and the duo shared a kiss reminiscent of their True Lies days.

The enthusiastic response from the crowd to their kiss was only matched by the welcome Moss received, who stayed on message and extolled the virtues of “full-funnel” advertising.

Peter White contributed to this report.