I'll be back? Schwarzenegger wasn't sure moviegoers would remember him

Despite being vilified and ridiculed for an affair with his housekeeper which produced a son, Arnold Schwarzenegger has managed to shrug off the scandal, which left his reputation in tatters. And he continues to rehabilitate his image as he prepares his big Hollywood comeback with The Last Stand, his first major movie in 10 years.

It is a comeback that has been staged with some care. Life! and other media were warned repeatedly by publicists to steer clear of personal questions when speaking to the star at the Four Season in Beverly Hills last month, or risk having the interviews cut short.

The movie, which opens in Singapore on Thursday, is an old-school action flick and, like most of the Schwarzenegger oeuvre (Conan The Barbarian, 1982, Predator, 1987, and Total Recall, 1990), requires more muscle-flexing from the actor than dialogue.

"I did have doubts, you know, about whether it was going to work to come back," says the 65-year-old actor, confessing that after his eight-year detour into politics, he was not sure that moviegoers would remember who he was.