Many assume that Hollywood rolled out the red carpet for Arnold Schwarzenegger after his back-to-back Mr. Olympia wins, but in reality, his massive physique worked against him, with smaller guys like Al Pacino being the industry standard.

Back in 2024, while sitting down with the Cigar Aficionado YouTube channel, the six-time Mr. Olympia revealed that when he tried to set foot on the streets of Hollywood, agents outright rejected him. “Arnold, are you crazy? This is the people of your size, you weigh 250s, as it's too big, no one wants to see a movie, the Hercules movies are out,” Schwarzenegger recalled.

What next? Well, Schwarzenegger then moved towards studio producers and executives, but their answer was similar. He mentioned that the people at the high table preferred Dustin Hoffman, Al Pacino, and Woody Allen–type actors. “It's all guys that the little guys, small guys, he says big guys are not needed today anymore, the 60s are over.”

The people at the office even advised him to start a supplement brand or open a gym. “Build a health food store, something like that, do a gymnasium that we can help you with,” Schwarzenegger said.

While the 7x Mr. Olympia did all of that, his success in Hollywood proves that the studio producers and executives were completely wrong in rejecting him.

Over time, Schwarzenegger delivered multiple blockbusters that made him the Hollywood icon we know today. However, there's one project that he feels took his stardom to an all-new level.

The Movie That Arnold Schwarzenegger Credits the Most for His Hollywood Fame

Recalling his first majorly successful movie, Schwarzenegger said, “Conan the Barbarian launched me into an international kind of atmosphere where the studio was willing to send me all over the world to promote the movie.”

Released in 1982, it was the first film featuring him in a lead role with his own voice. Conan the Barbarian became a smash hit and went on to earn between $68.9 million and $79 million worldwide, being made on a budget of $20 million.

However, this was not the movie that catapulted him to success. Schwarzenegger revealed, “Terminator was a movie that showed me without really showing the body.”

He also said that people focused more on his acting than his physique, as he was not showing his body too much in the movie. “People saw that and the movie became so successful, one of the top 10 movies of the year.”

Terminator was a massive success; against a budget of $6.4 million, the movie earned $78 million, became a cult classic, and marked the beginning of Arnold’s Hollywood success story.

So, what do you think the producers who once rejected him felt after watching him break box-office records?

Written by

Suryakant Das

Edited by

Souvik Roy