Imagine visiting Madame Tussauds in Hollywood, taking selfies with a wax model of Arnold Schwarzenegger, when suddenly the model comes to life. This is what happened recently as Schwarzenegger pranked the public for charity, all in aid of After School All-Stars programs.
The guy really has a sense of humor, just in time for the premiere of Terminator Genisys on Sunday evening. He has always said he would be back, and boy was he back, all over the Hollywood streets.
The video above shows Arnold goofing around at Madame Tussauds, giving the public the fright of their lives, then hamming it up in the streets of Hollywood. He even confronts a Terminator look-alike posing with the public, thoroughly amusing everyone surrounding them.
While Terminator Genisys is heading for the big screen, Arnold Schwarzenegger wasn’t actually promoting the new movie – these stunts were all in a good cause, promoting charity and the after school programs in a fun way.
Arnold Schwarzenegger pulls a Madame Tussauds prank – Watch: http://t.co/KN8hKRINQK #TenNews 5pm pic.twitter.com/S7x9Kic9Ti
— TEN Eyewitness News (@channeltennews) June 19, 2015
While Salon.com apparently has nothing much good to say about the Austrian movie star , from the video it looks like everyone had a pretty good time and thoroughly enjoyed his stunts.
What Schwarzenegger is doing is to match every donation received towards his good cause and in return, people got the chance to not only win an invitation to the Terminator Genisys Premiere. They were flown to Los Angeles and put up in a 4-star hotel, rode with Arnold to the event and were able to take selfies while walking on the red carpet with Arnold Schwarzenegger himself.
As you can see from the video, however, they had to ensure they didn’t bump into Arnold’s selfie stick along the way. They also had the opportunity to drink Schnapps with the Terminator star at an exclusive, star-studded after party. Winners also, of course, got the opportunity to say those classic phrases, “I’ll be back” and “Hasta la vista, baby.”
Watch Arnold Schwarzenegger Prank, Terrify Fans at Madame Tussauds http://t.co/GAQSrwu5m5 pic.twitter.com/k0Yz4hnH7Y
— Hollywood Reporter (@THR) June 18, 2015
On the official website set up by Arnold to raise money for the After School All-Stars program, the Terminator himself said the following:
“Come with me if you want to live… the most awesome night of your life! I’m back with a new, limited-time experience and you and a friend are invited as my special guests. We’ll ride together to the premiere of Terminator Genisys, take selfies and get interviewed on the red carpet, and watch the movie before any of your friends. Oh, did I mention we’ll drink Schnapps together at the after party to celebrate our big day and my return as the Terminator? Hasta la vista, baby.”
Its unknown how much money Arnold Schwarzenegger has raised for the charity so far and while many people might criticize his acting and his stunts, it’s still a pretty big deal. Donations can still be made, with 12 hours remaining at the time of writing, on the website Omaze with various levels, some of which include a great “Don’t bump my selfie stick” T-shirt or hoodie.
To get an idea who Arnold was helping, the After-School All-Stars (ASAS) “provides comprehensive after-school programs that keep children safe and help them succeed in school and in life.”
“ASAS’ vision is for our All-Stars to be safe and healthy, to graduate high school and go to college, to find careers they love and then give back to their communities. ASAS serves 87,377 low-income, at-risk youth at 367 Title I schools in 15 major cities across the country — from New York to Hawaii.”
Incidentally, the video, uploaded to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s personal YouTube account on June 17, is rapidly going viral with over 17 million page views at the time of writing this article. He’s definitely back.
It seems there’s another reboot in the making, as it has also been confirmed, as reported on the Inquisitr , that a remake of Kindergarten Cop is coming soon.
[Image: Screen grab from YouTube video]