Joseph Baena and Arnold Schwarzenegger didn't always have the bond they share today. In fact, Bena didn't even meet his father before his teenage years. The 28-year-old revealed how that bond developed.

Back in 2022, Joseph Baena joined Sofia and Sistine Stallone on the Unwaxed podcast and opened up about his evolving relationship with his father.

Baena explained that he didn’t immediately connect with Arnold Schwarzenegger. "My relationship with my dad... it took a little while for me and him to get really close and just like I can joke around with him and talk about anything," Baena said on the podcast.

Part of that distance was because of the way he was raised. Till age 13, Baena grew up primarily with his mother, Mildred Baena, who had previously worked as a housekeeper for the Schwarzenegger family.

Over time, however, the father and son developed a deep connection. "Now it's like awesome... I'm like so close to my dad, and we joke around about everything," revealed Joseph Baena.

"He always wants he always wants to hear about the drama, he's like  tell me everything, tell me the drama, tell me about the girls," added the 28-year-old.

Why doesn’t Joseph Baena use the Schwarzenegger surname?

Joseph also revealed that he never really had the surname “Schwarzenegger” to begin with, and changing his surname to Schwarzenegger isn’t something he focused on.

When the host explained that using the famous surname could potentially help in the acting world, Baena explained he doesn't want to lean on the reputation Arnold Schwarzenegger built.

"I'm doing my own thing, I haven't really thought about it that much," said the actor. However, Baena isn't Arnie's only son who wants to create his own legacy without using his father's connections.

Patrick Schwarzenegger shares a similar perspective with his half-brother. "I just really care about carving my own path, and wanting to feel successful to me. I'm never gonna out-succeed my dad in his terms. But in my terms, I will," the 31-year-old told PEOPLE in 2025.

Follow Bodybuilding Bros for all things fitness!

Written by

Ruwa Javed

Edited by

Sagnik Bagchi