Bodybuilding icon Arnold Schwarzenegger recently released his latest book on self-help, Be Useful: The Seven Tools for Life. While Arnie authored the legendary instructional book Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding, the latest book is the 76-year-old’s first foray into the self-help genre. So, to promote the book, the seven-time Mr. Olympia has continued to appear on talk shows and podcasts. Earlier, the five-time Mr. Universe appeared on the Daily Stoic YouTube channel. Fellow author and host Ryan Holiday spoke about an anecdote from his past. 

According to Holiday, his grandfather was displaced during World War II and was lucky enough not to get executed. The YouTuber said he wouldn’t be interviewing Arnie had his grandfather not made it to the West. Their discussion led to the disturbing issue of segregation, which somehow survived even in America until 1965. Arnie recently revised a topic while watching a legendary African-American musician’s documentary.

Arnold Schwarzenegger rewatched the 2023 documentary

Their discussion about refugees and the Second World War led to antisemitism. Schwarzenegger followed it up with what happened to the Naive Indians of America. Even until the mid-sixties, some state and local laws allowed segregation to continue. “I just watched for the second time, uh, the documentary of Little Richard,” said Arnie.

“He was one of the greatest rock and roll musicians,” explained the 76-year-old. Arnie said that despite being a star and legendary musician, Richard suffered harshly. The documentary Schwarzenegger mentioned is the critically acclaimed Little Richard: I Am Everything. Released on April 21, 2023, the documentary gave an in-depth look at the life of the rock and roll icon.

“He was hailed to sing, and to perform, and to play the piano at a lot of those Southern clubs,” said the bodybuilding icon. However, many Southern states had segregation laws called the Jim Crow laws. The name Jim Crow originated from a character in a minstrel show. The Minstrel Show portrays comic stereotyping of people of color.

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Arnie said these clubs invited Richard. However, they didn’t allow him “to eat… go to the bathroom.” Arnie explained. “It’s like, how can people do that to other people?” asked the seven-time Mr. Olympia. In fact, Schwarzenegger had to navigate through his fair share of discrimination.

Hollywood didn’t welcome Arnie with open arms

Initially, Schwarzenegger dealt with producers who changed his name and dubbed his voice to hide his accent. However, it paled in comparison to what he had to endure for his father’s mistake. Arnie once spoke about the “tremendous prejudice towards German accents” and how “people would call me a Nazi.”

Since Schwarzenegger’s father had served in the Sturmabteilung (SA), a paramilitary wing of the Nazi party, many Hollywood producers refused to cast him. Legendary producer Dino De Laurentiis initially refused to work with Arnold Schwarzenegger in Conan the Barbarian (1982) until director John McTiernan stood up for him.

While the laws segregating people of color no longer exist in America, Arnie still felt sad while watching Little Richard’s story.

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