The real reason Arnold Schwarzenegger left bodybuilding for acting

Arnold Schwarzenegger is one of the most famous former bodybuilders of all time and later became an action movie icon . Now let’s see exactly why he dropped one career for the other.

The real reason Arnold Schwarzenegger left bodybuilding for acting

Before the Austrian immigrated to the US and made a name for himself in Hollywood, he was the youngest person to ever earn the title of Mr. Universe at 20.

He then won the title five more times, as well as winning seven Mr. Olympia, all of which secured his status as a world-renowned athlete and bodybuilder in the 1960s and 1970s.

He began his acting career after moving to the US in 1968, and his first role was in the 1970 film Hercules in New York.

It wasn’t until 1982, however, that the starring role in Conan the Barbarian paved the way for Schwarzenegger to become the Terminator in 1984.

From there, Arnold’s place in cinematic history was cemented, and there was no looking back.

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Plan

What’s so remarkable about Arnold’s transition from bodybuilder to world-famous actor is that it was always his plan.

The very different careers were inextricably linked in his mind since he was young. Growing up in devastated and impoverished post-World War II Austria made him yearn for a better life, and as a teenager he set his mind on how to build one for himself.

In a 2001 speech in Sacramento, California (via Schwarzenegger), Arnold revealed his imagined path from bodybuilder to actor:

“My own plan formed when I was 14 years old… One day I saw a magazine in a store window. The cover showed a muscular man in an ancient warrior costume… It read: ‘Mr. Universe now starring in the Hercules movie’”.

“I found out that Hercules was an English guy, who won the title of Mr. Universe into bodybuilding, and turned that into a movie career…. Bingo! I had my model! If he can do it, so can I! I would win Mr. Universe. I would become a movie star. I would be rich. One, two, three – bing, bang, boom! I found my passion. I achieved my goal”.

While his transition from bodybuilder to actor seemed as unlikely as it does now, he defied the odds and paved the way for the life and career he wanted.