Apres Roseanne, the Deluge

Tom Arnold is savoring the sweet dish of professional revenge.

It’s particularly satisfying because within 12 months he will have racked up four major movie roles--all this after having been written off in the wake of his nasty divorce from one of Hollywood’s most powerful women, Roseanne. After all, his four-year marriage to her goosed his start in Hollywood to begin with, including two TV shows that eventually failed.

But Arnold has apparently decided to take the high road, all the way to the bank.

“Deep within me there is something satisfying to have it all work out,” Arnold said by phone from Vancouver, where he is filming “Big Bully” for Warner Bros. with Rick Moranis. “Believe me, it did hurt. It hurt my family . . . hearing people on TV say, ‘He’s the most talentless person there is. He’s nobody without her.’ I wasn’t so much mad at anybody. But what is happening now feels good . . . very good.”

What is happening appears to be a career switch from the small screen to the silver screen. After strong critical plugs for his character, Gib, in last summer’s “True Lies,” Arnold has landed leading roles in three upcoming films: 20th Century-Fox’s “Nine Months,” with Hugh Grant and Julianne Moore; Warner Bros.’ “Big Bully,” and Warners’ “Carpool,” to be directed by Arthur Hiller.

Director Chris Columbus’ comedy “Nine Months,” which also co-stars Joan Cusack, Jeff Goldblum and Robin Williams, just wrapped and is set for a July release. “Joan plays my wife and she’s pregnant. Hugh’s girlfriend, Julianne, is also pregnant and he’s anti-kid. He hates me because I’m so pro-kid,” says Arnold.

“I really enjoyed working with Hugh, but you know how those British guys are. They love to bitch and moan . . . in a fun way, of course. They always hope all their best friends fail, and they’re excited when it happens.”

One week after wrapping “Nine Months,” Arnold was headed for Vancouver to prep for Steve Miner’s “Big Bully,” which started shooting last week. His character is the local bully, named Fang, who torments Moranis’ character, David.

And after “Big Bully” wraps, Arnold has a two-week breather before he starts “Carpool” on May 15. Hiller, president of the motion picture academy, will direct this comedy written by Don Rhymer and executive produced by Arnold. “Getting Hiller to direct is my ploy to get into the academy,” says Arnold.

“It’s about a guy who’s lost everything, really down on his luck,” he adds. “He decides to rob a store. Enter this harried executive with a big presentation to make who is stuck taking his kids’ car-pool to school this particular day. He stops by the mini-mart to get a doughnut, where my character is holding it up. So my character decides to take the executive and the little kids hostage--and that’s when the adventure begins.”

While Arnold had small roles in “Hero” and “Undercover Blues,” his movie career really began in “True Lies,” in which he plays Gib, spy buddy to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Harry Tasker.

Arnold says he was actually trying out for a bit part as a bartender, but director James Cameron asked him to read the larger part. “Fox was worried about all the negative publicity (surrounding Arnold’s marital problems at the time) but Jim said, ‘I don’t care,’ ” Arnold says. “Jim’s vote of confidence is what really opened doors for me.”

Arnold and Roseanne (who was recently married to her onetime bodyguard, Ben Thomas), were known for playing out their marital drama in public, with Roseanne once accusing Tom of having an affair with his assistant. She also suggested that Arnold physically abused her, charges that Arnold adamantly denies.

“Our marriage had its tough times,” he says. “But I never hurt Rosie. People say things they don’t mean when they’re upset.

“But I’m happy for her now. We were friends 12 years and I wish her the best. There’s something to be said in this life when you can look back and say somebody truly loved me. If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t be sober.”

It was Roseanne’s immense popularity that gave her the pull to influence ABC and CBS executives to make Arnold the star of two short-lived network series, “The Jackie Thomas Show” and “Tom,” respectively.

Arnold, 35, says that his core audience “seems to be teen-age guys in Iowa.” But that’s fine, he says with a laugh, adding that his long-term goal is to be a producer.

“You know, I look back and everything that was bad at the time seems to have turned out to be a blessing,” he reflects.

On July 22, Arnold says, he plans to marry Julie Champnella, a 21-year-old from the Detroit area. “And she’s about as far from Hollywood as you can get,” he says. She plans to become a teacher.