Show Rundown: June 24, 2015

The studio was abuzz Wednesday morning with the presence of longtime friend of the show, former Governor of California, and forever the Terminator Arnold Schwarzenegger. His first time back since 2003, Arnold didn’t disappoint as he regaled Howard with tales of his life and career, discussing the new “Terminator” movie, his marriage to Maria Shriver, friendship with Tom Arnold, and even Miley Cyrus.

Naturally, Howard had to ask Schwarzenegger about some of the wild stories shared by his good friend and show regular Tom Arnold. Like a Gold’s Gym Gatsby, he confirmed that while Tom does tend to go over the top, he was truthful in reporting on parties at Arnold’s house that include lions and tigers and the occasional bodybuilder. Arnold went on to sing Tom’s praises, raving not only about his talents but also that he’s “such a good human being.”

An evening hanging out with a pair of other funny people led to the birth of 1988’s behemoth “Twins.” After “Private Parts” producer Ivan Reitman and the late Robin Williams noted his great sense of humor and wondered why he wasn’t doing comedies at that point, Arnold explained that Hollywood was making too much on his action films. Ivan came back to him with the idea for “Twins,” but it was Arnold who suggested he star with someone physically his total opposite: Danny DeVito.

Arnold also revealed there is a sequel in the works where their characters Julius and Vincent discover a third sibling with Eddie Murphy attached to star as their brother.

For someone so synonymous with “The Terminator,” Arnold wasn’t even originally supposed to have the part. O.J. Simpson, Mel Gibson, and Tom Selleck were all reportedly considered for the title role and Arnold was slated to play the film’s hero Kyle Reese. Arnold’s enthusiasm and insistence to James Cameron on the particulars of the villain led to the director suggesting he step in and do it.

Despite his great attention to the little things, there was one detail Arnold couldn’t wrap his head around: the Terminator’s now-iconic “I’ll be back” line. After trying a take where he said “I will be back” instead, Cameron stopped him and said that since he didn’t mess with Arnold’s acting, Arnold in turn shouldn’t mess with his writing. After several kids came up to him after the premiere repeating the line, Arnold knew his director was right.

After his governorship ended, so did Arnold’s marriage to Maria Shriver. The star spoke candidly with Howard about that painful time and how, after working through some of their issues, he now enjoys a great relationship with Maria and all of their children.

Finally, Arnold touched on his son Patrick’s former relationship with pop star Miley Cyrus. After a ski weekend in which she doted on his nephew’s young children, Arnold said he realized she is in fact a “fantastic person.”