Arnold Schwarzenegger Arranged a Special Movie Screening for Veterans

Arnold Schwarzenegger is showing his appreciation for veterans — and he’s encouraging others to do the same.

In a post shared on Instagram on Wednesday, Nov. 19, the actor and activist, 78, said he was recently celebrating Veterans Day at the West LA VA with his “heroes” when he learned that the center’s movie screening area was out of commission. 

Schwarzenegger said he decided to take action, and within a week he had arranged for buses to take the veterans to the Paramount lot for a special screening of the new remake of the classic action film The Running Man.

The star said he wanted to share the story in an effort to remind others that they have the power to take action and do good for the people around them.

“I wanted to share this because we all have power if we are willing to act,” he wrote in the post’s caption, which accompanied a video of a speech he gave moments before the screening. “Most people would just post on social media: ‘it’s bogus our vets can’t watch movies at the VA.’ That doesn’t get them into a movie.”

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He continued, “Sure, most people can’t get a screening room and buses. But you could buy one veteran a movie ticket and do more good than any social media post. Do good, whenever you can. That’s your greatest power, and don’t let anyone take it away from you. Not government, not social media, not politicians,” he continued.

“When you want to complain about something bad, say, ‘what good can I do?’ “ he added.

The Running Man’s star, Glen Powell, responded to the post, writing, “You’re one of a kind, Arnie. Thanks for bringing joy to the world and standing up for our heroes.”

The movie’s director, Edgar Wright, also chimed in, writing, “This is amazing!!! Thank you Arnold x.”

Schwarzenegger starred in the original 1987 version of the film. And while he told the crowd at the screening that he’s proud of the original, he also said that he always believed an even better version of the film was possible.

“In 1987, we made the movie Running Man, and this was the decade where most of the greatest action movies were made,” he said during an introduction to the movie before the screening. “And now, of course, a lot of companies come and remake them. And in most cases I am not happy about that — because they’re perfect movies.”

He continued, “But, I always say in my interviews there was one movie that I did that came out really well, but I felt like it didn’t have the budget to … paint the future [where] this story takes place. And that movie was Running Man … It was very successful, but I always felt that it could be redone in a better way so we can paint the future better.”

Schwarzenegger went on to say that he recently saw the new version of the film for the first time, and he was “blown away” by it. 

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“I thought they did such a fantastic job. The visual effects were fantastic. The action was fantastic. The acting was fantastic. The story was really well told … I was so excited about it that when, on Veterans Day when I visited you guys and we were all eating pizzas together, that’s when I decided that I’m going to show you this movie,” he said to the cheering crowd.

The Running Man is in theaters now.