Arnold Schwarzenegger references iconic 'Predator' meme with Carl Weathers in tribute to late actor (2024)

Arnold Schwarzenegger has posted a tribute to his late Predator costar Carl Weathers.

Shortly after the news broke on Thursday that Weathers had died at the age of 76, Schwarzenegger posted several pictures to Instagram of himself with Weathers in the 1987 sci-fi action film, including their handshake that became a viral meme.

“Carl Weathers will always be a legend. An extraordinary athlete, a fantastic actor, and a great person,” he wrote in the caption. “We couldn’t have made Predator without him. And we certainly wouldn’t have had such a wonderful time making it.”

“Every minute with him — on set and off — was pure joy. He was the type of friend who pushes you to be your best just to keep up with him,” he added. “I’ll miss him, and my thoughts are with his family.”

In the movie Predator, Schwarzenegger played a soldier named Dutch opposite Weathers as Dillon, who together circumvent an alien warrior that is in pursuit of the duo. The film gave rise to several sequels and spinoffs, including the 2022 film titled Prey.

Weathers spoke to British GQ back in 2020 and reminisced about his time on set with Schwarzenegger.

“You know, there’s a great line: what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. What happened during Predator stays in Predator,” he joked, adding, “But, yes, all is true. There were nightclubs. We were a bunch of young guys. We were all in our own way trying to one-up each other.”

“Of course, with training, Arnold had an entire gym there, so we were going to the gym working out to get all puffed up before scenes,” remembered Weathers. “Nobody wanted to look any weaker than the other guy. So, you know, it was competition constantly; competition in front of the camera, competition behind the camera, competition at night.

Weathers continued, “Young guys around other young guys in a movie that’s about physicality with lots of time on our hands in a beautiful location like Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. What do you expect, really? You expect a lot of fun, a lot of grab-assing, a lot of kidding each other, a lot of setting each other up for jokes, trying to pull pranks on each other.”

“It all existed. But I think it also added something to the movie, this camaraderie, this sense of fun,” he said.

In addition to Predator, Weathers, a former NFL player, was also known for playing Apollo Creed opposite Sylvester Stallone in the Rocky films.

He also had several comedic roles, including in Happy Gilmore and Arrested Development. He most recently earned an Emmy nomination for his role in the Star Wars series The Mandalorian.