Shifting from the world of bodybuilding to becoming one of the biggest action stars of Hollywood surprisingly didn’t take long for Arnold Schwarzenegger. The actor who has been involved in several iconic movies, including The Terminator franchise, which went on to change the landscape of sci-fi movies, once opened up about how he landed his first acting gig.
Unlike many actors, who might have to wait for a substantial amount of time to garner any substantial role, fortunately, in Schwarzenegger’s case, it came off early. And one of the reasons behind his early breakthrough in the realm of Hollywood was his late mentor Joe Weider.
Arnold Schwarzenegger once opened up about a hilarious lie that landed him his first role
After making a name for himself in the World of bodybuilding, Arnold Schwarzenegger was set to make it big in the World of Hollywood. But to his surprise, after flying from Austria to America, the actor didn’t have to wait much longer for his first big break. He laughingly recalled the memory of how Weider sold him as an “‘German Shakespearean actor’ — there’s no such thing!” for his first role in 1969’s Hercules in New York. Schwarzenegger further explained,
“That second part came together much faster than he’d planned or expected when six months after coming to the U.S., muscle mag publisher Joe Weider called to tell him, ‘They’re looking for a star in a Hercules movie. I recommended that you were the best.’”
However, Joe Wieder’s contribution to The Terminator actor’s career wasn’t just limited to his first role, as Schwarzenegger went to express his love and respect towards the late bodybuilder.
Arnold Schwarzenegger credited Joe Weider for his success
Despite his enormous success in the field of movies and bodybuilding, Arnold Schwarzenegger previously refused to call himself self-made, as he claimed Joe Weider was the reason behind his success. Weider, who was the publisher of several bodybuilding and fitness-related magazines, was the reason that pushed Schwarzenegger into the world of bodybuilding.
Weider also played a huge part in the actor’s success, from bringing the actor to America to helping him secure his first major role, the Total Recall actor expressed that Weider was always there for him. Schwarzenegger explained,
“He’s one of the reasons I refuse to be called self-made. Joe was a jewel. He treated me like the son he never had, and after sending me my plane ticket, never stopped giving me advice on business, on bodybuilding, on family, on everything. My life wouldn’t be what it is without Joe.”
Even though his first movie wasn’t well received by the audience and critics, it did manage to create some buzz around the Total Recall star, who would later go on to star in James Cameron’s The Terminator.
Hercules in New York is available to stream on Apple TV.
Source: BuzzFeed
