From winning Mr. Olympia multiple times to becoming one of Hollywood’s biggest action superstars, Arnold Schwarzenegger has done it all. The former bodybuilding champion-turned-actor took a huge risk with his decision to become a movie star despite the fact that he could have still become a huge celebrity in the profession of bodybuilding.
Schwarzenegger was even offered a promising opportunity to become the face of a renowned fitness brand. The True Lies actor though, wanted more out of life and let go of this deal to not just pursue his dream of becoming an actor but also to achieve superstardom and make millions like many of his Hollywood counterparts.
Why Arnold Schwarzenegger Wanted To Emulate Clint Eastwood
Arnold Schwarzenegger is arguably one of Hollywood’s most iconic superstars, especially in the realm of action. Over 5 decades, the Austrian celebrity has been the face of some of the industry’s biggest blockbusters including Terminator, True Lies, Commando, and many more. Schwarzenegger was so passionate about his dream to become an actor, that he was willing to turn down a promising offer to represent Jack Lalanne Gyms, which was right up his alley as a champion bodybuilding exponent.
The Expendables star in an appearance in The Howard Stern Show, elaborated on the reasons behind refusing the deal and his passion to pursue movies. Speaking of what attracted him to Hollywood, who he was inspired by, and what prompted him to take the plunge as an actor, The former Governor of California said,
“I thought about it, and I said to myself, Wait a minute. My goal is to be a leading man in movies and to be another Clint Eastwood and Charles Branson. Those were the big stars at the time and got a million dollars a movie. I want to make a million dollars a movie and I want to shoot for that goal”
While the $200,000 that was offered by Lalanne Gyms to Schwarzenegger was not small change, the actor confessed that the hectic schedule of working 10 to 12 hours a day for the organization would have denied him the opportunity to study acting and do the things that he wanted to achieve in his life.
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s First Million Did Not Come From The Movies
While Arnold Schwarzenegger expressed his dream to become a millionaire through films, the actor first achieved this feat before his acting career skyrocketed. In author Tim Ferris’s book titled Tool of Titans, the Terminator star revealed that he turned to real estate in the 1970s as a backup plan while transitioning from a bodybuilder to an actor.
Starting from a simple down payment for an apartment, Schwarzenegger spoke about benefitting from the ‘magic decade’ where buildings that he invested in, went on to sell at almost 3 times their purchase amount. In this way, the Austrian Oak made full use of the lucrative real estate market to earn his first million dollars. This windfall, in turn, gave him the financial freedom to pursue his acting career without the pressures of failure.