Run Arnie run

Arnold Schwarzenegger likes to tease. In particular, he likes to tease the press. In London last week for the premiere of

And the actor they call the Austrian Oak paused on the red carpet and pretended to consider the shouted inquiry seriously. Previous replies have run the gamut from the bland 'I'll let you know when the time is right' to the tetchy 'Look, I will tell you within the month if I'll stand or not', all the while hedging his bets. Last week's answer was closer to definitive but still worthy of the sort of professional politician Schwarzenegger is said to see as his next incarnation. 'The final decision rests with my wife - and I hope to get the go-ahead in a couple of weeks.'

Kennedy family scion Maria Shriver's yea or nay won't come a moment too soon. After all, Schwarzenegger's backers have already succeeded in raising the 1.2 million signatures required to recall sitting Democrat Governor Gray Davis, whose second term has been little short of disastrous since his January inauguration. It may not be the Rise Of The Machines but it is most certainly the eve of battle.

Yet the star couldn't be more relaxed as we huddle in a cavernous room on the Los Angeles soundstage where parts of T3 were shot. He's here to sell Terminator 3. Not that it needs much flogging. When this second sci-fi sequel opened in the US on the 4 July weekend - the start of the summer movie season - the $170 million blockbuster blew away the competition and raked in more than $44 million.

In an industry where youth is king, the 56-year-old has proved to be a canny old dog with some surprise new tricks. Those who counted him out and said politics was the only way to go after dismal returns on Collateral Damage and The 6th Day may yet have to eat their words. Whatever happens now, at least Schwarzenegger's celluloid throne is safe. He knows who to thank, too - 'The fans asked for Terminator 3. And it will be up to the fans whether there is a Terminator 4.'

At least no one cares if a governor's torso sags or not. The big rumour around LA is that the taut naked body on screen in T3 is the product of computer effects. I ask and Schwarzenegger looks me straight in the eye, an experience future voters may find more than a little disconcerting.

'Listen,' he says, summoning his best conspiratorial tone while deflecting the question, 'I haven't told this to anyone yet, I swear to you. But when I got together with the same guy who has done my make-up on all the Terminator films, he took hold of my eyelid and let it go. "See how long it took to snap back," he said. "Here's a card. Call this doctor. He's the best, very discreet. Have your eyes worked on."'

Schwarzenegger literally squirms at the prospect. 'Everyone gets puffy eyes when they get older and everyone in Hollywood's answer is to cut them. Cut! Cut! Cut! Maybe it's my European background or I'm just old-fashioned but I can't do it. I'm so against surgery.' He shrugs. 'Clint Eastwood has squinty eyes and he's still making good money.'

Then again, Schwarzenegger has seen enough of the surgeon's knife recently. Major heart surgery in 1997, six broken ribs in a 2001 motorbike accident, and more surgery in January for a torn shoulder. 'I smoke one stogie a day and I lift half the weight I used to with twice the reps. Otherwise, I am no different. But yes, getting old sucks - especially when you've been known for the perfect body.'

It was as a bodybuilder that the Austrian immigrant found fame, having figured that his best route in to Hollywood movies was via a