Arnold Schwarzenegger's Shift To The Left No Accident?

Gen Xers remember Ah-nold’s reign as the world’s biggest movie star.

“Predator.” “The Terminator” (and its glorious sequel). “Total Recall.” “Twins.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger, a bodybuilder whose accent was so thick a studio dubbed his lines for 1970’s “Hercules in New York,” conquered Hollywood on his terms. (His voice later returned to the film following his rise to fame)

No one stays on top forever. Now, he may be tacking to the Left to reclaim his Hollywood golden days. So far, the public isn’t buying it, but his Hollywood peers just might.

In fact, evidence suggests they already are.

The descent unofficially began with “The Last Action Hero,” the 1993 film that failed to live up to its pre-release hype. The hits began drying up, and by the early 2000s he gave up acting for politics.

He became California’s last Republican governor, but since his dramatic career shift he’s been tacking to the Left when possible.

Arnold Schwarzenegger Returned To Acting Around 2011

Schwarzenegger was never a hard-Right figure, but his GOP bona fides have softened in recent years. And it’s possible it’s a last-ditch attempt at both relevancy and Hollywood gigs.

The star’s official comeback following his gubernatorial period began with a thud. The 2013 actioner “The Last Stand” featured Schwarzenegger in familiar territory, playing a reluctant hero in an action-packed caper. The movie bombed with just $12 million at U.S. theaters.

He kept going, faring slightly better with “Escape Plan” (co-starring former ‘80s peer Sylvester Stallone) which earned $25 million. He subsequently tanked with “Sabotage” ($10 million) and “Maggie,” an indie flop which earned less than $200,000 stateside.

Even two attempts to revive the “Terminator” franchise fell flat at the box office.

What does an aging action star do when his audience deserts him? Kiss up to liberal Hollywood, which overlooks box office grosses if you toe the proper line.

Schwarzenegger played up to the government’s pandemic narratives in recent years, instructing his fellow Americans to listen to Dr. Anthony Fauci. He went so far as to curse out critics with an infamous “screw your freedom” declaration. To his credit, he subsequently apologized, something neither Howard Stern or Jimmy Kimmel have done following their over-the-top pandemic cries.

The star also compared the Jan. 6 riots to the Kristallnacht pogrom during a heated video shared on social media.

“I grew up in Austria. I am very aware of Kristallnacht, or the Night of Broken Glass…It was a night of rampage against the Jews carried out in 1938 by the Nazi equivalent of the Proud Boys.

More recently, the former governor refused to criticize current California leader Gavin Newsom for collegial reasons.

“When you become part of the club, you don’t criticize governors — because you know how tough the job is.”

He still snuck in a jab or two against Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, who he called "too conservative" for his tastes.

“I was against some of the stuff he did with COVID. But who am I to judge? That’s for the people of Florida.”

News flash: Americans are flocking to Florida, in part, because DeSantis followed the actual science and shook off Dr. Fauci’s draconian measures that produced little but harmed many businesses (and lives).

So far, the actor’s liberal charm offensive is working.

Schwarzenegger is the focus of a three-part documentary dubbed, what else, “Arnold,” for Netflix. He’s also starring in the streamer’s “FUBAR,” an action comedy in the vein of his last big hit, “True Lies.”

Will audiences ignore "FUBAR" like they did his recent films? If so, he may have to start talking up AOC or President Joe Biden to stay in the industry's good graces.