Arnold Schwarzenegger shares he was rejected as an actor by movie executives: Here’s why

Arnold Schwarzenegger recalls his early days as a struggling actor in podcast interview

By Web Desk
October 13, 2023
Arnold Schwarzenegger shares he was rejected as an actor by movie executives: Here’s why

Arnold Schwarzenegger has recently made shocking revelation about his early days as a struggling actor on Literally! With Rob Lowe podcast on Thursday.

The Terminator star recalled, “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’.”

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“And one of the three reasons was that my body was too big,” disclosed the 76-year-old.

Arnold explained how movie executives at the time compared him to other successful actors of the era like Al Pacino and Robert De Niro.

“They said to me, 'Look at the stars today. Dustin Hoffman, Al Pacino, De Niro, Woody Allen. Those are the sex symbols. People don't want to see big muscles,” stated the Commando actor.

“You're 100 pounds too heavy. Forget it,’” he told the host.

Not only his body muscles, Arnold pointed that movie producers and executives also called out his accent.

“The bottom line is that when they said, ‘It's not gonna work, you getting in the movies, and especially not being a leading man’, they said it was because of your accent,” shared the actor.

Arnold continued, “They said the German accent is scary for most Americans — it reminds them of the Nazis. 'Yes, you could play a Nazi officer or something like that.’”

“And then they said that, 'No one would be able to pronounce Schwarz... And what's your name? Schnitzel?' So, they were laughing at my name. And they said that they're three reasons why it wouldn't work,” added the actor.

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