With such an illustrious career, Schwarzenegger has earned himself a few nicknames over the years to go along with his fame. To be fair, Schwarzenegger is most definitely not the easiest name out there to pronounce, let alone spell, at first glance. Therefore the people he encountered along the way came up with all sorts of interesting terms of endearment.
Schwarzenegger was nicknamed the “Austrian Oak” during his bodybuilding days, “Arnie” or “Schwarzy” throughout his acting career, and perhaps most famously, “The Governator” during his political career. And with a name as long as Schwarzenegger, a few nicknames couldn’t hurt!
His First Films
Schwarzenegger’s acting ambition began to pay off when he was cast as Hercules in 1969’s "Hercules" in New York, though his accent was dubbed over. Though his first accolade in acting was not received very well, as it received low ratings, he did go on to redeem himself in a long list of other productions down the line.
He won a Golden Globe in 1976 for New Star of the Year for his role in the movie "Stay Hungry." But he probably was most at home while starring in the 1977 bodybuilding film, "Pumping Iron." Though his filmography is very impressive today, Schwarzenegger admitted that “It was very difficult for me in the beginning.”
Schwarzen-what?
When Schwarzenegger first entered the film world, he encountered some unusual criticism. To look at all of his success as an actor today, you would never imagine that he, in fact, was told that he was too big and muscular.
Ironically, this was one of two other significant obstacles he faced, including being told that his accent was too heavy and that his name was too difficult for American audiences. An attempt was even made to change his name in one of his film’s credits, but he decided to stick with the now-iconic “Schwarzenegger” instead, and fortunately, that worked out great for him in the end.
The Roles He Refused
Though he is without question a household name today, Schwarzenegger turned down a handful of roles, some of them very well-known. He dismissed the idea of being Animal Mother in "Full Metal Jacket," John McLane in "Die Hard," and even Kyle Reese in "The Terminator."
He also made his own creative choices in turning down appearances in both the "Commando" and "Predator" sequels. And what role does he regret turning down might you ask? The offer to be in "The Count of Monte Cristo." Arnie allegedly turned down this action role in favor of taking a role in “Sweet Tooth.”
His Own (Stunt) Man
It may come as no surprise that Schwarzenegger has done many of his stunts for his films, given his physicality and dedication to his roles. But one of the primary reasons he ended up getting his hands dirty was because few stuntmen were as prominent as he was!
And when he did find a stunt double who could take the job, he kept them around. Billy D. Lucas, Peter Kent, and Joel Kramer became his regulars and friends off the set. Kent later opened up in an interview with I News, sharing how tough and gruesome the filming of “Terminator 2” was and how he just feels lucky to be alive despite all the danger while making that movie.