Last Action Hero star Arnold Schwarzenegger attempted to become a real-life hero on Tuesday when he decided to take matters into his own hands and fill a "giant pothole" that had been plaguing his Los Angeles neighborhood for weeks — but city officials say he may have made a mistake.
“Today, after the whole neighborhood has been upset about this giant pothole that’s been screwing up cars and bicycles for weeks, I went out with my team and fixed it," the actor and former California governor tweeted. "I always say, let’s not complain, let’s do something about it. Here you go,”
Today, after the whole neighborhood has been upset about this giant pothole that’s been screwing up cars and bicycles for weeks, I went out with my team and fixed it. I always say, let’s not complain, let’s do something about it. Here you go. pic.twitter.com/aslhkUShvT
— Arnold (@Schwarzenegger) April 11, 2023
Schwarzenegger, 75, said he used skills he learned from the bricklaying business he started in 1968 a few years before his role in Pumping Iron made him an international movie star. Tired of waiting, the former bodybuilder donned work boots, a leather jacket and sunglasses nostalgic of his role in The Terminator.
Turns out the LA pothole was not a pothole
To his surprise, Schwarzenegger's action sparked controversy.
"This location is not a pothole," a spokesperson for the City of Los Angeles told NBC Los Angeles.
"It’s a service trench that relates to active, permitted work being performed at the location by SoCal Gas, who expects the work to be completed by the end of May," the spokesperson said. "As is the case with similar projects impacting City streets, SoCal Gas will be required to repair the area once their work is completed."
The city of Los Angeles says it received more than 1,300 requests for pothole repairs in the last week of March.