James Cameron Hangs Out of a Helicopter Over Jamie Lee Curtis for the Filming of “True Lies” (1994)

Jamie Lee Curtis performed a thrilling helicopter stunt in True Lies (1994), and it’s one of the most famous moments of her career. The scene involves her character, Helen Tasker, dangling from a helicopter over the Florida Keys while being rescued by her husband, Harry Tasker (Arnold Schwarzenegger), after an intense sequence on a limousine speeding across a collapsing bridge.

Director James Cameron, known for pushing practical stunts, wanted authenticity in the scene. While a stunt double was used for some shots, Curtis insisted on performing the helicopter-dangling stunt herself. The sequence was filmed with Curtis hanging from a harness attached to a helicopter flying about 40 feet in the air. Cameron, ever the hands-on director, personally filmed the shot from another camera mounted on the helicopter skids.

Curtis later said Schwarzenegger encouraged her by saying, “You can do it, Jamie. It’s no big deal!” – but she realized later how intense the stunt really was. She has called it the greatest stunt she ever performed.

In 2022, Curtis explained in a Facebook post that while her stunt double Donna Keegan deserves all the credit for the scene in which Curtis’ character Helen is pulled by Arnold Schwarzenegger out of a limousine moon roof and over burning wreckage, Curtis herself did soar in the air so they could achieve one magnificent overhead shot as you can see the photo above.

“In order to get the shot we had to wire me to the helicopter at base camp and then fly for 20 minutes over the water to get to the 7 mile bridge where the wreckage took place,” Curtis said, saying that the picture took place just three days before her 35th birthday. “In the photograph is Joel Kramer, who doubled Arnold on the skid, and that’s James Cameron hanging out of the passenger seat with the camera.”

Curtis explained that “obviously” much of the sequence was achieved with her on the road, as was her stunt double, but that the shot was “one of the most spectacular ever done.” She did though have one must before agreeing to go up in the air.

“Chuck Tamburo was the pilot, and the only requirement I had for the sequence was that somebody have wire cutters in the helicopter in case they had to ditch over water so that I could be separated from it,” Curtis said. “I saw manatees and it was late afternoon and it was a glorious ride on a wire all thanks to James Cameron and Arnold Schwarzenegger.”

True Lies received mostly positive reviews from critics, and ultimately grossed $378 million worldwide at the box office, becoming the third-highest-grossing film of 1994. For her performance, Curtis won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy and the Saturn Award for Best Actress, while Cameron won the Saturn Award for Best Director. It was also nominated at the Academy Awards and BAFTAs in the Best Visual Effects category, and also for seven Saturn Awards.