Regardless of the stature that Arnold Schwarzenegger has built in the Hollywood community, his career might have never started without a lie from his mentor. The Terminator actor chose to give up this secret several years later, in 2015.

Well, the person whom Schwarzenegger addressed as his mentor is none other than the IFBB co-founder and bodybuilding promoter, Joe Weider.

"I went to an interview [Hercules] with him...I didn't even have to read. I never even talked. He said, 'Shut up and don't talk. I do the talking. You just sit there and keep your chest out and look proud and look strong.' And so he was telling them that I'm a German Shakespearean actor, and there is no such thing," Schwarzenegger revealed Weider's trick in an appearance on a 2015 episode of The Howard Stern Show,

Schwarzenegger disclosed how Weider's lie helped him earn his Hollywood break in the form of the 1970 comedy-fantasy, Hercules in New York.

Despite Schwarzenegger's lack of grip on English, Weider fixed an interview with the team of HINY and asked him to stay quiet through it, which surprisingly landed him the role.

"He said, 'They're casting Hercules, and I just told him that they have to hire you, the big and new bodybuilding champion. You're 22 years old. They should get you. This is the best thing,'" Schwarzenegger added.

The 7x Mr. Olympia also disclosed Weider's blueprint for the interview with Hercules' team.

"I didn't even have to read. I never even talked [because] he [Weider] said, 'Shut up and don't talk.' He said, 'I do the talking.' You just sit there and keep your chest out and look proud and look strong," mentioned Schwarzenegger.

But now, it's quite clear what "talking" Weider did that landed Schwarzenegger his role in HINY. The movie didn't garner the expected response despite being a profitable venture.

However, it did open up a new pathway in Schwarzenegger's life that eventually became one of his biggest identities. And the Terminator actor didn't miss out on giving Weider his flowers for whatever he did.

Arnold Schwarzenegger Pays Tribute to Joe Weider After His Death

Weider's impact on Schwarzenegger's life goes far beyond earning him his first Hollywood project. As a young man in Austria, Schwarzenegger found his biggest inspiration to take up bodybuilding in the pages of Weider’s premier fitness magazines.

Weider also played a significant role in Schwarzenegger's relocation to America. After Weider's demise in 2013, Schwarzenegger penned a lengthy, heartfelt note on his website to pay homage to him.

A section of it read, "Joe didn’t just inspire my earliest dreams; he made them come true the day he invited me to move to America to pursue my bodybuilding career. I will never forget his generosity. One of Joe’s greatest qualities is that he wasn’t just generous with his money; he freely gave of his time and expertise and became a father figure for me."

The way Weider lied to earn Schwarzenegger his Hollywood break also appears to be an incident close to the Predator actor's heart. Besides the Howard Stern episode, he mentioned it in this tribute note.

So, now that you know the entire story about Schwarzenegger's Hollywood break, do you think he could've become an actor if Weider didn't lie to the HINY makers?

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Written by

Souvik Roy

Edited by

Shubhi Rathore