Arnold Schwarzenegger Responds To Co-Star Eliza Dushku's Allegations Of Being Molested On The True Lies Set

arnold schwarzenegger and eliza dushku in true lies

It has been a few days since Eliza Dushku took to social media to share a story about when she was molested as a young actress in Hollywood on the set of the famous movie True Lies, which was directed by James Cameron. The man who hurt her was allegedly the stunt coordinator on the movie, Joel Kramer, and although Dushku at the time did tell some of the adults in her life about the incident, it doesn't seem as if any of the stars of the movie knew at the time. Responding to a tweet from fellow actor Tom Arnold, who also appeared in True Lies and seemed genuinely shocked by the news, Arnold Schwarzenegger spoke out about Eliza Dushku telling her story. The former governor said:

You bet your ass all of us would have done something. I'm shocked and saddened for Eliza but I am also proud of her - beyond being a great talent and an amazing woman, she is so courageous.

Hearing that something horrible may have happened right under your nose is never the best feeling, and in a tweet Arnold Schwarzenegger makes it known that he would have been there for then 12-year-old Eliza Dushku had he been aware of the situation, which allegedly involved Joel Kramer inviting Dushku to use the pool at his hotel. When she got there, she says he took his clothing off and molested her. Tom Arnold explained that he himself would also have tried to do something for the actress had he known about what Dushku says went on during the making of True Lies, as would other co-star Jamie Lee Curtis and director James Cameron, who previously made a statement on his own, saying,

Directors are historically pretty oblivious to the inter-personal things that are happening on the set, because they're focused on what they're doing creatively, but had I known about there would have been no mercy. I have daughters. There really would be no mercy now.

The stunt coordinator, Joel Kramer, has since responded to Eliza Dushku's comments, telling The Wrap that he was "just shocked" and had "never sexually assaulted her." The stunt coordinator, who most recently worked on Blade Runner 2049, was let go by the Worldwide Production Agency following Eliza Dushku's allegations. Other people who worked with or were close to Eliza Dushku during the True Lies time period have also spoken out to explain what they knew at the time.

Eliza Dushku continued working in the industry following True Lies and was later known for playing tough-as-nails characters on programs like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Dollhouse. She most recently guest starred on the CBS drama Bull for a three-episode stint and appeared in the TV movie The Saint.

Jessica Rawden
Managing Editor

Jessica Rawden is Managing Editor at CinemaBlend. She’s been kicking out news stories since 2007 and joined the full-time staff in 2014. She oversees news content, hiring and training for the site, and her areas of expertise include theme parks, rom-coms, Hallmark (particularly Christmas movie season), reality TV, celebrity interviews and primetime. She loves a good animated movie. Jessica has a Masters in Library Science degree from Indiana University, and used to be found behind a reference desk most definitely not shushing people. She now uses those skills in researching and tracking down information in very different ways.