Being an Austrian from birth, Arnold Schwarzenegger had quite a different accent that proved to be an obstacle in his Hollywood career in America. During the early days when Schwarzenegger dipped his toes in the film industry, he was told to learn to speak with an American accent.
Although the actor learned the accent, there has always been a hint of his Austrian accent in his speech but nevertheless, he made it big into Hollywood. In an interview with Jimmy Kimmel, Arnold Schwarzenegger joked that he needs to get his money back from his “accent remover coach”.
Arnold Schwarzenegger Wants His Money Back
In an interview with Jimmy Kimmel on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Schwarzenegger sat down for a chat with the late-night show host. Discussing everything from politics to the infamous “I’ll be back” line by Schwarzenegger, the duo chatted away happily when the talk of accents came.
Sitting opposite Jimmy Kimmel, Arnold Schwarzenegger revealed that during his earlier days, he revealed that he had to learn how to get rid of his Austrian accent through the help of an accent remover coach. Talking about Robert Easton, Schwarzenegger stated on Jimmy Kimmel Live that the treatment did not work and that he wants his money back.
“I should get my money back for that one. You’re absolutely right. It was this guys Robert Easton and Robert Easton was like the speech doctor and he was kind of like teaching the most famous actors in history, uh…how to create accents!”
He further continued,
“But I don’t think he ever worked for someone to get rid of an accent. So if someone was a British guy and he wanted to have an Irish accent, he [Robert Easton] would be the specialist that would teach you how to do that. I don’t think he ever dealt with anyone that was like from Germany or from Austria and supposed to get rid of German accent”
With an Austrian accent in his speech, the actor did manage to pull off some of the most iconic action movies back in the 1980s and 1990s.
Arnold Schwarzenegger Considered Clint Eastwood As His Idol
Back in the day, Clint Eastwood was all the talk of the town with his cowboy hat and gunslinger roles in movies. When Schwarzenegger entered Hollywood, he had already considered Clint Eastwood as his idol, as revealed by People.
“[Clint Eastwood] was my idol because he was kind of Mr. Cool. His approach of not being noisy, that he was able to listen, I always loved that. Because I always thought that there’s something to be said about listening.”
Schwarzenegger later went on to star in notable and iconic movies like The Terminator franchise, Predator, and more. He was last seen in the 2023 series titled FUBAR which is available to stream on Netflix in the U.S.
Source: Jimmy Kimmel Live, People
