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Arnold Schwarzenegger's portrayal of Conan the Barbarian defined the Cimmerian for an entire generation of fans, and he's not ready to let go of the ethos behind Conan any time soon. Schwarzenegger starred in two Conan films, 1982's Conan the Barbarian and 1984's Conan the Destroyer. He was set to star in a third, which never came to be because he was already committed to appear in Predator, which certainly wasn't anything to sneeze at. For years now, rumors have circulated about Schwarzenegger's plans to star in a King Conan film, which unfortunately has yet to be made. 

Schwarzenegger revealed on LinkedIn (yes, he's on LinkedIn) that his longtime friend and the director of the 1982 Conan the Barbarian movie, John Milius, is battling cancer. Milius wrote the script for the unmade King Conan film. And while visiting his friend, Schwarzenegger took a page out of Milius's script to give him the motivation to keep fighting his illness. Schwarzenegger wrote, that at one point in Milius's King Conan script, the Cimmerian is "walking through the dark halls of his castle, and Death — the devil — confronts him. The devil tells Conan he’s old and tired, and invites him to just come with him, where he can relax and rest in comfort. It awakens something in Conan, and in his old Barbarian fashion, he tells the devil, “Fuck you,” and unsheaths his sword for the first time in ages to literally fight Death himself."

He continued, "John [Milius] has been a real champion, fighting this cancer with courage. But I know it’s hard to go through chemo, and his nurse told me he needs to get up and walk more, so I asked him if he’s walking. He told me he didn’t feel like it, and I reminded him of what he wrote about Conan. I said: 'John, that’s not you who doesn’t want to walk. That’s the devil inside you. You know better than anyone he will play tricks on you. He will tell you to lie down, to just relax, to choose comfort. That’s because he wants you sooner. But you have to say 'Fuck you!' like Conan. He can have you some day, but not today. This is a battle, and you are a gladiator. It goes from morning to night.' I saw that famous Milius fire light up in his eyes, and he put out his hand for me. I helped him up, and we did a lap, and then another. His body was waking up and his mind was deciding to fight. He wanted to walk more, and I had to make him rest between sets of walking."

As someone who deals with chronic illness myself, the champion of The Running Man wouldn't have to tell me twice to get up, do my laps, and keep fighting. Being sick isn't exactly fun, but I won't ever turn down the opportunity to say "Fuck you" in my best Schwarzenegger impression. Schwarzenegger's full post is a moving testament to his strong friendship with Milius, as well as the sense of positivity and motivation that characterizes his online presence today. May we all continue to be gladiators for good. 

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