When Gerry Lopez carved his first wave at Hawaii’s Waikiki Beach as a ten-year-old boy, no one could have predicted that the “Pipeline Master” would one day help carve out one of fantasy’s most memorable films. Yet for fans of Robert E. Howard’s Conan the Barbarian, Lopez’s portrayal of the Hyrkanian archer Subotai stands as one of the most authentic elements of a film legendary for its dedication to authenticity.

In a recent interview, Lopez pulled back the curtain on what happens when a genuine fan of fantasy literature finds himself with the opportunity to help bring that world to life. Through our discussion, we plumb the creation of a fantasy classic, revealing how the practical effects, authentic performances, and genuine love for Howard’s source material combined to create something that continues to captivate audiences forty years later. 

A Fan Before an Actor

Long before he donned the bow of Subotai, Gerry Lopez was already deeply immersed in the literary worlds that would later define sword and sorcery. “I got into Robert E. Howard about the same time I got into Ian Fleming and Edgar Rice Burroughs,” Lopez recalls, placing Howard’s work alongside other titans of adventure fiction. “I just loved all those kinds of stories.” This wasn’t just casual reading – it was the foundation of a genuine appreciation for the material that would later inform his portrayal.

What truly united Lopez and director John Milius wasn’t just their shared love of surfing, but their mutual admiration for the visual legacy of Conan. “We were both big fans of all the Frank Frazetta imagery of Conan. We both loved that stuff,” Lopez remembers. This shared appreciation for Frazetta’s iconic depictions of the Cimmerian warrior would prove crucial in bringing Howard’s world to life on screen.

That same devotion to Frazetta’s vision played a key role in the film’s most crucial casting decision. When discussing Arnold Schwarzenegger’s embodiment of Conan, Lopez notes with enthusiasm, “if you look at any of the Frazetta paintings of Conan, you can see, I mean, it was like he was using Arnold for a model.” 

Behind the Scenes of Conan the Barbarian

When John Milius first handed Gerry Lopez the script for Conan the Barbarian, Lopez’s reaction was pure panic. “My God, this is like a huge part. I can’t act,” he confessed to the director. Milius’s response? “You’ll be fine. Arnold can’t act either.” But rather than treat this as an excuse for mediocrity, both men threw themselves into serious preparation. While Schwarzenegger got his own acting coaching, Lopez found himself at Mako’s school for Asian actors. “I went there a whole bunch of times,” Lopez recalls, “I went, man, I’m really out of my element here. I’m like a total kook.” This early training with Mako, who would later join the cast himself, set the tone for a production where authenticity mattered more than Hollywood shortcuts.

The production’s commitment to authenticity extended to the martial arts training, where the cast worked extensively with a true master. “We started doing the sword training right away with Yamazaki-san,” Lopez recounts. “He was not only a karate master, but he was also a master of iaido, which is the Japanese katana sword.” Make no mistake: this was anything but a brief training session. The cast trained for weeks before filming began, with Lopez noting that they “got pretty good with those” swords through daily practice. This dedication to proper sword technique shows in the final film, where the fighting sequences carry a weight and authenticity often missing from fantasy productions.

Perhaps the 1982 Conan film’s dedication to practical effects and authentic action comes through most vividly in Lopez’s behind-the-scenes stories. Such as in the famous snake scene, where what audiences might assume was movie magic was actually Lopez’s real archery skills at work. When the special effects team began planning elaborate wire rigs for the shot, Lopez simply stated, “the snake is like 15 feet away. Where do you want me to shoot him? I can shoot him from here with my eyes closed.” 

But perhaps the most unexpected example of the film’s creative authenticity came from an unlikely hobby shared between Lopez and Milius: model airplanes. During production breaks, they would build and paint military models together, meticulously recreating combat aircraft camouflage patterns. These painting sessions would eventually inspire one of the film’s most distinctive visual elements. As Lopez reveals, “Where we did the orgy chamber scene, you know, where we got all painted up in camouflage? That was all off of model airplanes.” It’s this kind of organic creative process – finding inspiration in unexpected places – that helped give Conan the Barbarian its unique visual identity.=

Brotherhood of the Sword

While Conan’s world is one of brutal combat and dark sorcery, behind the scenes the cast forged bonds through humor, shared meals, and mutual respect. At the center of much of the levity was Arnold Schwarzenegger, who Lopez remembers fondly: “he was like the full jokester… he was always a jokester.” This playful spirit helped unite the cast through long days of filming, with Arnold’s pranks becoming legendary on set. In one particularly memorable moment, he defused tension during a difficult morning by launching into a deadpan complaint about his café con leche that had everyone, including the frustrated target of the joke, laughing.

In contrast to Arnold’s lighthearted presence, James Earl Jones brought a gravitas to the set that left an indelible impression on his castmates. During the filming of the massive temple scene, Lopez witnessed Jones’s commanding presence firsthand.  With over a thousand extras present and no microphone, Jones’s trained theatrical voice carried his lines to every corner of the set – evidence of the classical training he brought to the role of Thulsa Doom. “Everybody in that crowd could hear him speak,” Lopez recalls. 

The ensemble was rounded out by Sandahl Bergman, who Lopez remembers with particular warmth: “she was just like, you know, a sister and we just, you know, she was so easy to get along with.” This familial atmosphere extended beyond the main cast to include surprising moments of camaraderie, such as when celebrated actor Mako revealed his hidden talent as a gourmet chef, preparing elaborate feasts for his castmates.

What emerges from Lopez’s recollections is a picture not just of actors working together, but of a true fellowship forming during the creation of this epic tale. Like the warriors they portrayed on screen, the cast developed bonds through shared challenges, from grueling sword training sessions to long days in the Spanish heat. This authentic camaraderie translated directly to the screen, helping to create the sense of believable companionship that makes the film’s relationships feel genuine rather than forced.

Carrying the Torch

The enduring appeal of Conan’s world is evident in how new generations continue to discover and embrace it. When Super7 recently created an action figure of Subotai, Lopez was touched by the response: “some of my friends saw them and they came and go, ‘I gotta have that.'” This enthusiasm from both old fans and new collectors demonstrates how the character continues to capture imaginations.

Perhaps most telling is Lopez’s genuine continued engagement with Howard fandom. At a recent Howard Days celebration, he offered a warm greeting: “Hey guys, this is Jerry Lopez, sometimes known as Subotai, and I’m also a big Robert E. Howard fan.” This simple statement perfectly captures what has made Lopez such a beloved figure in the Conan community – he’s simultaneously a creator who helped bring this world to life and a fan who truly understands why these stories matter.

As our conversation with Gerry Lopez demonstrates, the enduring appeal of Conan’s world stems from the perfect combination of authenticity and imagination. Just as Lopez brought real archery skills to his portrayal of Subotai, today’s creative teams bring their own expertise and passion to new interpretations of Howard’s work. 

For those inspired by Lopez’s tales of bringing Howard’s world to life, there’s never been a better time to dive deeper into the Hyborian Age. Modern comics and graphic novels from Heroic Signatures continue the tradition of authentic, passionate adaptation that made the 1982 film so memorable. They offer new adventures that would feel right at home alongside the stories that once captured the imagination of a young surfer in Hawaii.

Want to hear more of these untold stories straight from Subotai himself? Watch our full interview with Gerry Lopez on YouTube, where he shares even more behind-the-scenes moments from one of fantasy’s most legendary films.