Born away from the glitz and glamor of Hollywood, the Austrian-born Arnold Schwarzenegger is a powerhouse to be reckoned with. The actor pursued his passion for bodybuilding and went on to bag the Mr. Olympia title seven times. Whether it is bodybuilding, politics, or authoring a book, The Terminator legend has tried his hand at everything. Even tutoring Oscar-winning legend Kirk Douglas.

In a recent podcast, the Conan of the Barbarian actor poured his heart out and shared his memories about the person who influenced his life in the most amazing way.

Throwback to when Arnold Schwarzenegger coached Kirk Douglas

While talking exclusively on the podcast Literally! with Rob Lowe, the actor talked about his early days in Tinseltown and other leading men who had set the benchmark for the ideal body standard. While mentioning actors who were in great shape, Schwarzenegger recalled an amusing incident with the Spartacus star. He remarked “Son of a b***h had dumbbells under his bed,” while recounting how Douglas had pulled out dumbbells from under his bed when they were working together in the movie The Villian.

Given that it has been several decades since the incident unfolded and Schwarzenegger still remembers it fondly, it is clear that it had a great impact on him. One reason behind this other than his friendship with Douglas would be the rejections he was facing because of his body. At a time when the Austrian Oak felt beaten down by the industry, Kirk Douglas’ encouragement was nothing less than the hand of God.

Much like how most friendships are a two-way street, so was that of Schwarzenegger and Kirk Douglas. Not only did the former bodybuilder give him fitness tips, but Douglas also served as a guiding light in his career.

The Austrian Oak and Douglas’ two-way street friendship

One of the biggest superstars of the 50s and 60s, the legendary actor changed the Hollywood scene with movies like Spartacus and Vikings was Kirk Douglas. Through his determination to achieve a good physique, he formed an unconventional bond with Arnold Schwarzenegger. Over fitness tips and acting methods, the two went on to form one of the most popular friendships in Hollywood. Not only was their offscreen bond good, but they were quite the blockbuster pair on-screen as well.

Schwarzenegger and Douglas worked together in The Villian. The movie went on to become an easy hit because of the dynamic pairing and the intriguing plot. So much so that the movie went on to earn 9.8 Million at the box office. While this was the only movie the two worked on together, the tales of their friendships still live on curtsy of Arnold Schwarzenegger himself.

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