One may see Arnold Schwarzenegger as a strong being, with a body of iron and someone who can’t fall. Well, he indeed can’t be pushed to the ground easily but not because of his jacked body, instead of his adamant mind. He was brought up in a war-torn Austria and most of his childhood tales were the talks of World War 2.
Having strict parents helped him a lot in becoming what he is today. Not just a buffed-up man but a responsible and genuine human being. The mindless machine from Terminator has actually got a heart of gold and life lessons that we all can learn from.
Arnold Schwarzenegger About His Childhood
In a recent episode of Jay Shetty Podcast, he revealed a lot about how his upbringing was and what he and his family had to go through. The Fubar actor spoke of his determination to become the person he is today, while also telling Shetty and the viewers:
“I had a combination of things while growing up. After the Second World War in 1947, I was born to grow up with no food, mid of starvation, famine. My mother going around what they call Hamstering, which means begging farmers for food, so she had food for her children.”
He then also spoke of his father who contributed to his determination, saying:
“My father was very strict. You know we were hit many times and punished for not doing the things, the way he thought we should do things. We had to earn breakfast. We had to do pushups and sit-ups and compete. Knee bends and all that stuff running around the house in order to be allowed to have breakfast. All of that contributed. And also I think having military around, the British Military.”
He revealed that the area of Austria he used to live in was occupied by the British Military. Looking at their tanks gave him a push to become a tank driver at first, and so joined the Austrian army.
Post-War Trauma of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Father
Speaking of his father the Commando actor stated that he was a complicated man and the actor never got a chance to understand him properly. But now the star from Escape Plan wishes to spend a day and have a conversation with his father, as he is a grown-up man now and is not traveling around the world.
Further stating more about his father, Schwarzenegger said:
“He was complicated because he was the victim of the Second World War meaning that he was dragged into the war, became a soldier, a Nazi officer. You know he was shot at in Stalingrad. He was buried under the rubble of buildings for three days. He had back surgeries then he was shipped back home to Austria and that actually saved him because he got out of Russia just in time before the whole thing collapsed.”
Once the Total Recall actor’s father got home, his Nazi military officer dad was suffering from malaria, shrubs moving around his body and with that, he was also depressed as they had lost the war.
“Everyone around me, when I grew up was drinking. There was a lot of violence going on, hitting the kids. Not just my dad hitting me or my brother but the neighbor hitting his kids and the other neighbor hit.”
Arnold Schwarzenegger said during the podcast.
He mentioned that this was a different way of upbringing that kids today would laugh about. This was also another reason that pushed the Kindergarten Cop actor to come to America and get into bodybuilding.
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Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Military Experience
Talking about his days in the military Arnold Schwarzenegger expressed:
“When I went through, it was really tough but when I look back at it, I recommend it very strongly for any young man or woman. Because you learn how to be tough, you get up at 5 in the morning then you run for an hour”
His interest in the military also built his fascination with “big cars and trucks and tanks” he said during the podcast, also stating:
“I now have the tank that I drove in the military, I now have it over here in Los Angeles. I drive it every month, I really enjoy it. But I also have Hummers, the big military trucks, cars, and SUVs”
Arnold Schwarzenegger aka the Austrian Oak is also a synonym for getting bigger and muscular. The actor has completed his 53 years in Hollywood with his first debut in the movie Hercules in New York. He recently became a hot topic as he dropped out of the action-packed movie The Expandables 4. It is uncertain whether the T-800 will return to the franchise that is filled with a number of action stars and most importantly his old co-star, Sylvester Stallone himself.
