Sometimes, the hard-hitting realities of life are difficult to come to terms with, and Arnold Schwarzenegger had to accept these truths, albeit with a heavy heart. The former Mr Olympia who became one of Hollywood’s biggest action stars, was a pioneer in the field of bodybuilding and inspired a whole generation of people to work on their physique and respect it.
The True Lies actor though, was never mentally prepared for age to catch up with his body. In a candid interview, the 76-year-old Austrian confessed that he was unprepared for his shredded physique to become a victim of aging, although this reality was inevitable.
Arnold Schwarzenegger Couldn’t Come To Terms With His Changing Physique
Whether one is a celebrity or a common man, life is a great leveler. Arnold Schwarzenegger was hit with this reality when it came to his physicality. The 7-time Mr Olympia champion-turned-action king was synonymous with his almost superhuman physique which served as inspiration to many hopeful bodybuilders.
The Terminator star, now 76 years old, struggled to come to terms with the fact that youth and old age are two sides of the same coin. In a candid confession on The Howard Stern Show, Schwarzenegger spoke of his dilemma and the struggle to accept his changing body.
“It’s one thing to see yourself get older and more and more out of shape but most of the people have never been in shape… you roll the clock 50 years and you’re standing there and you don’t see that anymore. I never, ever thought about that when I was 30 years old or 40 years old that this [was] going to happen. It just sucks.”
While Schwarzenegger admitted that he was still in better shape than most people his age, the fact that he could not maintain the shredded muscularity that he had during his younger years, came back to hit him hard.
Arnold Schwarzenegger Was Told That He Would Fail As An Action Star In Hollywood
After more than 5 decades in Hollywood, Arnold Schwarzenegger is arguably the undisputed king of action. As hard as it is to believe, the Austrian Oak was once told that he would not make it as an actor in the industry, ironically owing to the famous physique that made him stand out from his other colleagues. Speaking to Rob Lowe in the Team Coco podcast, the Commando star traced his initial days of rejection and explained the reasons behind it.
“In the ’70s when I said I wanted to get into movies, all the producers and directors and studio executives and agents were saying to me, ‘It’s never gonna happen.’ And one of the three reasons was that my body was too big. They said to me, ‘Look at the stars today. Dustin Hoffman, Al Pacino, De Niro, Woody Allen. Those are the s*x symbols. People don’t want to see big muscles. You’re 100 pounds too heavy. Forget it,'”
Despite being discouraged, Schwarzenegger persevered and stood tall amidst the aforementioned superstars in Hollywood, to carve his own unique niche in the industry.
