Given how quickly he reached the ‘Greatest’ title in every category that he stepped into, Arnold Schwarzenegger seemed to just know the golden trick of conquering, regardless of the genre. But the truth could not be any further from that. The journey from a war-ridden household in Austria to the title holder of the Greatest Bodybuilder of all time was not easy. And neither was any other new journey that Schwarzenegger had taken on. Especially his acting journey.

The Austrian Oak is a man molded to greatness by the trials and errors of life. This seemed truer than ever, as Arnold Schwarzenegger reflected on his acting journey. Especially the rejections he faced at the beginning of his career.

Arnold Schwarzenegger did not have an easy foray into Hollywood

With an estimated net worth of $450 Million, a gazillion blockbusters, and a seat in the greatest action heroes arena, Arnold Schwarzenegger is easily one of Hollywood’s most prized possessions. However, the city of stars, with its affinity to capriciousness, at one point in time, had told the very star that it crowns as one of its greatest today, that he would not make it. The Austrian Oak’s rejection, however, did not stem from his weakness. In an interview with Literally! With Rob Lowe, Schwarzenegger revealed that they said, “my body was too big.”

The seven-time Mr. Olympia winner was making the transition to Hollywood freshly after his retirement from the bodybuilding industry. This led to a lot of producers saying “Forget it,” to his face and telling him “You are a 100 pounds too heavy.” But hell hath no fury like a champion scorned, and Schwarzenegger slowly but steadily proved everyone wrong.

Schwarzenegger may have gotten over the rejection he came across because of his body, but there were more thorns waiting in his way.

Why was the Austrian Oak rejected by Hollywood?

While recounting the rejections he faced, Arnold Schwarzenegger stated the three factors that played a matchmaker’s role in his meeting with failure almost every time. Apart from his bulky physique, it was his German accent and his last name. A stern man with bulldozers, not just for biceps but also as his weapons speaking with a German accent may remind most of the iconic scenes from The Terminator now, however, according to producers then, it reminded them of the Nazis.

The criticisms did not end there. Given that he can vividly state even the dialogues, it is clear that the words had a great effect on him. After all, it would not be easy to endure the ridicule of hearing your name as ‘Schnitzel’ when you’ve dedicated an eternity to ensuring it symbolizes greatness. This gave the actor all the more reason to take on another journey and earn the greatest title in a new field.

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