Arnold Schwarzenegger has revealed the intense rivalry that consumed his career, saying he viewed Sylvester Stallone as an opponent he had to defeat. The admission comes in a new coffee table book titled Arnold, which documents the extraordinary life of the actor, bodybuilder, and former politician through dozens of photographs and personal insights.
Rivalry with Sylvester Stallone
Schwarzenegger, now 78, acknowledged that his competition with Stallone began after The Terminator made him a star in 1984. “I looked at him as the guy in the ring I had to take out,” he said. “We competed on every level: who kills the most people in our films, who has the biggest guns… Stupid things.” The rivalry lasted until the two actors, along with Bruce Willis, founded the Planet Hollywood restaurant chain in 1990.
Bodybuilding Dominance
Before his acting career, Schwarzenegger dominated the world of bodybuilding. He won the Mr Europe title in 1965 at age 19, was crowned Mr Universe five times, and won Mr Olympia seven times—a record that stood until 1991. Reflecting on his physique during competition, he said: “I didn’t think I was weird, but I always wanted to be different from everyone else. Someone might say: ‘Jesus, this guy’s huge. This looks freaky,’ and think I was one of the weirdos. All I knew then was that it felt really good to fit into that environment, and to be accepted by all those people.”
The 1977 documentary Pumping Iron brought him mainstream fame. “My vision was to spread the concept of fitness and muscle through every medium, and to make my money through investment and showbusiness,” he explained.
Terminator and Hollywood Stardom
After his breakthrough in Conan the Barbarian, Schwarzenegger starred in the first Terminator film in 1984. He described the android’s appeal: “The universal appeal of The Terminator is the machine. You have no control of this thing. Young men like anything that has superpowers, but Batman and Iron Man are human and therefore ruled by a moral code. The Terminator is not even alive, so it can get away with anything.”
Schwarzenegger initially argued with director James Cameron, wanting to play the hero Kyle Reese instead. “I said: ‘Jim, this is a villain.’ Jim replied: ‘Trust me, the way I shoot it, The Terminator will be heroic.’”
Political Career
Schwarzenegger served as the Republican governor of California from 2003 to 2011, winning re-election in 2006. He said he entered politics because his adopted state was “in a terrible state.” “There was just chaos wherever you looked. Someone had to get in there and get things done. I had the will and the vision and the plan,” he stated.
He advised aspiring politicians to use humor: “If someone attacks you, let it roll off you and make them laugh. For every speech, I practiced the jokes.” Despite his smoking habit, he said: “I know it’s a bad habit; my doctor is always telling me to stop smoking. But everyone has vices, and I didn’t want to be fake just to be governor.”
Environmental Activism and Personal Life
After leaving office, Schwarzenegger remained active on environmental issues. “I am the luckiest son of a bitch alive,” he said. “I was fortunate enough to build this platform where everyone in the world would listen to me. It would be a sin not to use it.” He added: “I’ve never believed in sitting on the couch and complaining, when I could do something real to help.”
Schwarzenegger has four children with his ex-wife Maria Shriver, niece of John F. Kennedy. They divorced in 2011 after 25 years of marriage. He reflected: “I became who I am because I never had a safety net. Having a safety net takes something of the drive and the hunger away. But my children will be smarter than I was. They are very well-educated. They also learned very early about helping others and working for charity, all the things I couldn’t care less about when I was young.”
When asked about retirement, he said: “I don’t understand this question.” He concluded: “I would not switch this life I’ve lived and keep living for anyone’s. I’ve had the most interesting and challenging life. I’ve had the most fulfilling, enriching and educational life.”
The book Arnold (Taschen, £125) is available now, with a luxury Capitello edition also on offer.
