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Schwarzenegger arrives in S. Korea, out to prove he’s ‘old but not obsolete’

July 2, 2015

Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger stands with a model of a “Terminator” from the new film “Terminator Genisys” during a press conference at the Ritz Carlton hotel in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, July 2, 2015. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

SEOUL, July 2 (Yonhap) — Arnold Schwarzenegger returned to his most iconic role in “Terminator Genisys” and proved that while he may be old, he is not obsolete.

Schwarzenegger visited Seoul for a news conference timed for the opening of “Terminator Genisys,” the fifth movie in a series dating back to 1984, in South Korean theaters on Thursday.

“Well, I think it is a statement for everybody,” the 67-year-old former bodybuilder and California governor said when asked about the line in the new film, “I’m old, but I’m not obsolete.”

“I mean that old does not mean obsolete. There’s a certain advantage when you’re older,” he said, adding that some things — actors, wines, cigars, cars and guns — can get even better when they are old.

He said he is hoping the “I’m not obsolete” line will be the most repeated from the latest installment.

“I think it’s a great line. I thought that it also goes really well with the aged Terminator… It maybe is the line that will be the mostly-repeated line coming out of this movie.”

The Austrian-born actor cemented his standing as a major Hollywood star with his role as an invincible killer robot in the first “Terminator” released in 1984. He later reprised the role in two sequels in 1991 (“Terminator: Judgment Day”) and 2003 (“Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines”), but he was not in 2009′s “Terminator Salvation,” which starred Christian Bale and Sam Worthington.

Directed by Alan Taylor, “Terminator Genisys” will serve as a prequel, sequel and reboot to the first four Terminator movies.

In the new film, Schwarzenegger reprised the character again, joined by a slew of newcomers, including “Game of Thrones” actress Emilia Clarke and “Divergent” star Jai Courtney, and South Korean actor Lee Byung-hun.

Schwarzenegger said he has a strong attachment to the Terminator franchise because the first installment was a big turning point in his acting career.

“Even though it was a villain, not a hero, I accepted the role and it was a big explosion in my career because of that,” he said. “Always I enjoyed playing the character because it’s such an interesting character to play, to play a machine that does have some human elements to it.”

Questioned if he would keep appearing in more installments of the series, the actor said that it’s film fans around the world who will decide whether he’ll be back or not.

“Even though we would look forward to it, we have to make sure that there’s a demand by the fans. So, the important thing is that the people enjoy this one and this one is successful worldwide.”

After a 2003-2011 stint as California’s governor, Schwarzenegger returned to his acting career, appearing in various action films, including “The Expendables 2.”

Asked whether he misses his years as a politician, Schwarzenegger said that he is really happy about his current job.

“I do sometimes miss being in politics and being involved in policy. But I really enjoy be back and do acting.”

He said the two are very different types of professions but have one thing in common: In both cases you try to do something for the people.

“Acting is all about doing movies that people enjoy and then in politics you try to do policies that benefit the people.”

Being the governor of California has been the greatest job he’s ever had, said Schwarzenegger.

“I’m very fortunate to have the great job and then go into acting and do the movies like ‘Terminator.’ It’s just a wonderful, wonderful life, I would not exchange my life with anyone’s life in the world,” he said.

He later left the news conference with his famous Terminator catchphrase “I’ll be back.”