“My Accent Was Perfect”: Despite Facing Initial Setbacks in Early 80s, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Unique Attribute Became a Boon for Him After a Chance Encounter With the ‘Aliens’ Director

Bodybuilder turned Hollywood star Arnold Schwarzenegger was assured by others that he would never make it to the American film industry. One primary reason explained to him was his Austrian accent and also his little knowledge of English back then. Yet, beating the odds, the actor made it to the top charts and not once, but several times. His most successful movie remains the Terminator franchise. 

Therefore, in a recent interview with Financial Times, Arnie revealed that what got him signed up for the movie was his Austrian accent. Director James Cameron felt it was the perfect trait for his cyborg character and ended up replacing a notable actor instead. 

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s accent changed his life for good

While the world expected that a foreign accent in Hollywood would do no good, the 76-year-old pro managed to capitalize on it. Life took a beautiful turn soon after he was cast in John Milius’s Conan the Barbarian in 1982. Cameron reached out to Arnie and explained how he would be a good fit for the role of a robot. 

Football player turned actor, OJ Simpson was initially considered for the role, however, the notable director felt that Arnie’s thick Austrian accent was more machine-like. “My accent was perfect. Jim Cameron said: ‘You talk differently than we all do – you talk like a machine! This is what makes Terminator,” he said in the interview. 

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Moreover, the iconic catchphrase, “I’ll be back” was also self-styled by the Austrian Oak himself which eventually became synonymous with his political career as well. The Terminator had to continue, per public demand. Thus, when the sequel, Terminator 2: Judgement Day released in 1991, it became the highest-grossing film of his life. However, before embarking on his acting career, Arnie had to deal with many challenges.

Arnold Schwarzenegger took speech classes

Soon after his reign in the bodybuilding world, Arnie dreamt of making it big in Hollywood. But it was easier said than done, as the athlete had to work on his skills to appear qualified as an actor. His foremost task was to learn English and improve his accent. He intended to follow his Hercules idols, Reg Park and Steve Reeves. 

“I started working on it in my speech classes and the accent removal classes acting classes English classes and all those kinds of things,” the bodybuilder once shared. Quite ironically, his accent is what influenced the greatest film of his career.

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A man of great fortune, Arnold Schwarzenegger excelled in most professions he tried his hand at. While many struggle to put together only one career in their lifetime, this man has lived through three careers.