Arnold Schwarzenegger is a skilled actor and an even better fighter as well as a bodybuilder. His talent is spread out in various categories and he uses them all to bring about his best performances. His skills as a fighter have always been commended and he too knows that because of the years of practice, he has gotten, it has allowed him to take up some great movies and do stunts without a stunt double.
His work in film and otherwise has brought him a lot of recognition and has helped in his rise as a celebrity. There can be times when celebrities get told that they are too good at something and need to back away because of it. For instance, Joe Wright was hesitant on hiring Kiera Knightly for Pride and Prejudice because he thought she was too pretty. He changed his mind in the end though. However, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s excellence was taken in a different direction.
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Arnold Schwarzenegger Was Surprised About Just How Much James Earl Jones Trusted His Skills
There had been rumors about Arnold Schwarzenegger having to lose muscles for Conan the Barbarian. These rumors revolved around how the actor was unable to swing a sword properly because of the amount of muscle mass he had. He was asked to stop working out because of it. However, the actor himself chose to debunk this gossip.
“I had no issue with swinging swords even before I changed my body. I had been training with Sensei Yamazaki for three years before we filmed. I knew I had gotten good with the sword when James Earl Jones let me hit him right in the neck on the bloodbag even though if I’d missed by a couple inches I could have hit his head or his ear.”
He confirmed that indeed he was asked to reduce his muscle mass but not because he was not swinging his sword properly but because he was too muscular for a Barbarian. He further added that he was practicing his sword fighting skills for around three years, to an extent where even while he swung his sword against James Earl Jones, the actor showed no fear and only trusted Schwarzenegger.
Also Read: James Cameron Regretted $261M Arnold Schwarzenegger Movie That Brought a $2B Franchise to its Knees
Winning Mr. Olympia Made Arnold Schwarzenegger Too Big For A Barbarian
Arnold Schwarzenegger explained that before he filmed Conan the Barbarian, he had just won Mr. Olympia and it had led him to become much bigger than the movie would have required.
“Great memories but here is the reality. Working with [director and co-writer] John Milius was fantastic, because he was so hard-core. But it is true that he thought I looked too much like a bodybuilder – I needed to lose some of the cuts because I had just won Mr. Olympia and I was way too ripped to be a barbarian. So he told me to eat normally and not diet at all – I let my body fat get to around 12%.”
He stated that he had never before faced any problems while swinging a sword and he did not face any during that time either. However, to fit the proper look of a Barbarian, he was forced to go on a normal diet and just watch the muscle fade.
Source: The Digital Fix
