Total Verhoeven

"Arnold [Schwarzenegger] is great," Dutch filmmaker Paul Verhoeven says of his Total Recall star in a lengthy Q&A with contributing editor Mike Wilmington. "He had no problem getting covered with oil and blood and all kinds of stuff." Then living in the U.S., the acclaimed director of Spetters and The Fourth Man says he recently turned to science fiction, including 1987's Robocop, because "I'm still not confident that my view of American reality is strong enough to convince the audience." Verhoeven's next film, 1992's Basic Instinct, causes a sensation; his 1995 film, Showgirls, earns him a Razzie for worst director, and he returns to science fiction with 1997's Starship Troopers. Schwarzenegger goes on, in 2003, to become California's governator.