Arnold Schwarzenegger Pays Tribute to Ivan Reitman: “He Was Comedy Royalty”

News broke late Sunday night that legendary comedy filmmaker Ivan Reitman had passed away at the age of 75. Director of Ghostbusters, Stripes, Twins, and several other beloved comedies, Reitman will go down as one of the pivotal voices in comedic film history. Following the announcement of his passing, several peers throughout the industry took to social media to share fond memories of the filmmaker. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who had worked with Reitman on three different comedies throughout the years, posted a lengthy tribute to his friend and collaborator on Twitter.

“Ivan Reitman is a legend. In Hollywood, he was bigger than life. He was comedy royalty,” Schwarzenegger wrote in the post on Monday. “In life, he was a mensch – a wonderful father and husband, a fantastic friend, a great human being. He was kind, he was generous, he was smart as hell, and he was always there for you. I am devastated, and my thoughts are with the Reitman family.”

“If you knew him, Ivan had a way of making himself a part of your story, and he certainly wrote a chunk of mine,” Schwarzenegger continued. “I’ll always be grateful that he took a chance on this Austrian action-hero in a comedy during a time when the studios just wanted me to focus on finding new ways to kill bad guys, blow things up, and show off some muscles. I knew I could make it in comedy, but I needed someone else to know it to make it a reality. That’s why Ivan was a great director and friend: he could see something in you that other people didn’t, and he could help you show the rest of the world.”

Schwarzenegger starred in Twins, Junior, and Kindergarten Cop for Reitman, and the two were actually working on a third movie this year. They were to reunite with Danny DeVito to film Triplets, a sequel to Twins, towards the end of 2022.

“Making Twins, Junior, and Kindergarten Cop with Ivan was heaven for me,” Schwarzenegger added. “Spending the last few years working with him on Triplets, and once again seeing his passion and genius up close, was a joy. Just last week, I was talking about how excited I was to be on set again with Ivan this fall. I can’t believe I won’t work with him again or hang out with him again or just schmooze about life again. But I also know that Ivan isn’t gone, he’s still with us. He’s here, in so many pages of my story. And if you were ever lucky enough to meet him, or just experienced his work, he’s a part of your story, too.”

Reitman recently produced Ghostbusters: Afterlife, which was directed by his son, Jason.