Photos from Columbia Pictures Adam Gibson (Arnold
Schwarzenegger) smashes a window as he comes home one
night to discover that his life has been stolen by his clone in the
action thriller, "The 6th Day."
By Sarah Monson
Daily Bruin Contributor
Arnold Schwarzenegger sure can keep a promise. He is back.
In “The 6th Day,” Schwarzenegger plays Adam Gibson,
a modest “everyman,” whose identity is stolen when he
is accidentally cloned.
The film presents a world that can thank cloning for the
eradication of world hunger as well as the preservation of
endangered species.
With the recent successful cloning of Dolly the sheep, and other
domestic animals, it’s no wonder that producer Jon Davison
was interested in making a science fiction movie stemming from
recent scientific breakthroughs.
“I think what hasn’t happened yet, will happen
soon,” said Davison when asked about human cloning in a
recent interview. “They’re not talking about
“˜if,’ but “˜when’.”
Written by husband and wife team Marianne and Cormac Wibberley,
“The 6th Day” tells the story of how Gibson is
accidentally cloned after Michael Drucker, a pro-cloning powerhouse
billionaire, is murdered by an anti-cloning fanatic.
 Adam Gibson (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is
forced by Marshall (Michael Rooker) and Talia
(Sarah Wynter) to transfer his memories into his
clone via a syncording machine in "The 6th Day" which is
co-produced by Schwarzenegger. Sarah Wynter plays an assassin named
Talia, who pursues Gibson relentlessly. She is killed and re-cloned
several times during the movie with her hair a new color at each
reappearance.
“I play a bad girl bitch in a blue wig,” Wynter
said. “I had no idea how time consuming action sequences and
special effects could be. They don’t teach you that when
you’re doing Shakespeare in drama class.”
Though not Shakespearean, the action packed sequences almost
turned to tragedy for Schwarzenegger, as he came close to drowning
while filming one of his underwater scenes.
Unable to see clearly through the murky water in a large tank on
set, Schwarzenegger accidentally swam under a clear covering and
could not come up for air.
“So I run out of breath, I come up and I hit the
ceiling,” Schwarzenegger said.
Luckily scuba divers were nearby to steer Schwarzenegger out of
harm’s way, and the harrowing experience did not deter the
superstar from completing the scene.
“It happens many times,” Schwarzenegger said.
“I say to myself, “˜Arnold, isn’t it interesting
that every time you think something is going to be a piece of cake,
it ends up being life-threatening?'”
“The 6th Day” also features a solid mix of seasoned
actors like Robert Duvall and Tony Goldwyn, and relative newcomers
like Wynter and Michael Rappaport.
Wendy Crewson (“Air Force One”) plays the leading
lady to Schwarzenegger and his clones. She relished the thought of
her co-star’s testosterone-charged appeal, spending entire
days working with Schwarzenegger on bedroom scenes.
“He’s so manly,” she said. “His beard
grew as the day went on.”
To maintain his manly girth, Schwarzenegger had his own mobile
gym stationed on the set and worked out up to four times a day.
In addition to playing two roles in the film, Schwarzenegger
also co-produced the film with Davison and Mike Metavoy, offering
audiences double the Arnold for their buck.
All special effects aside, after playing double the roles, does
Schwarzenegger entertain the idea of cloning himself?
“I wouldn’t mind it.” he said. “I could
get more done, one could go play golf while the other one takes
care of business.”
FILM: “The 6th Day” opens today in theaters
nationwide.