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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, includingThe Terminatorfranchise, 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.
Also read:Bruce Willis Was 8th Choice for Die Hard – Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Harrison Ford Rejected John McClane
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’sHercules 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 toThe Terminatoractor’s career wasn’t just limited to his first role, as Schwarzenegger went to express his love and respect towards the late bodybuilder.
Also read:Arnold Schwarzenegger Humiliated after Pothole He Blasted Los Angeles for Turns Out to Be a Service Trench
Arnold Schwarzenegger credited Joe Weider for his success
Despite his enormous success in the field of movies and bodybuilding,Arnold Schwarzeneggerpreviously 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, theTotal Recallactor 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.”
Also read:Arnold Schwarzenegger Was So Ripped for $79M Movie the Studio Asked Him To Become Fatter: “Let my body fat get to around 12%”
Even though his first movie wasn’t well received by the audience and critics, it did manage to create some buzz around theTotal Recallstar, who would later go on to star in James Cameron’sThe Terminator.
Hercules in New Yorkis available to stream on Apple TV.
Source:BuzzFeed
Santanu Roy
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2539
Santanu Roy is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on movies, with over 2,000 articles under his belt. He has been pursuing a degree in Animation and possesses a deep love for the medium of animation. Having spent the better part of the last two years pumping out articles for FW, Santanu excels at covering movie analysis and news surrounding Pixar, DCU, DreamWorks, and Batman’s cinematic legacy.With psychological thrillers and intimate slice-of-life dramas ranking among his favorite genres, Santanu is a big admirer of Luca Guadagnino, Shane Black, Park Chan-wook, and Brad Bird.
