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Topics: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Celebrity, Parenting
Ben Thompson
Topics: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Celebrity, Parenting
Arnold Schwarzenegger has been many things in his life - a world famous bodybuilder, a Hollywood megastar, and even the Governor of California.
Given his success in the world of bodybuilding, it's not surprising that he'd want to emulate some of the burly men when he was growing up.
But it wasn't an interest that his parents felt at ease with.
Schwarzenegger reflected on his earlier life during 'An Evening With Schwarzenegger' which took place in the David Geffen theater in Los Angeles on Wednesday (28 June).
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Recalling how he hung up photos of bodybuilders on his wall as a kid, the 75-year-old acknowledged that this distressed his mother.
The Terminator star said: "My mother was always looking at that wall, and she said, 'All of your friends have pictures of girls. Where did I go wrong?'
"And she would cry. She was in front of the wall crying every day until she called the doctor, our house doctor."
Once the doctor paid them a visit, he put Schwarzenegger's mom's fears to rest.
The actor recalled: "He finally said, no, this is quite normal in the kids at this age. They idolize men that are strong. Don't worry about it. He's not gay. That was their biggest fear."
Reflecting on his role models growing up, Schwarzenegger pointed to Hercules star Steve Reeves and British bodybuilder Reg Park as his idols.
As a growing boy, he also read all he could about the sport of bodybuilding.
"When I read that Reg Park was working out five hours a day, lifting heavy weights, and doing 50, 60 sets of exercise and lifting 50 tons of weights a day, I would do the same thing," Schwarzenegger said.
"My parents thought that I was a little bit sick in my head, and they thought I was overdoing it and I was obsessed and it was bad for my health."
'An Evening With Schwarzenegger' took place in front of 966 fans who were also treated to a 3D screening of Terminator 2: Judgement Day.
The 1991 sci-fi classic remains his highest grossing movie, making over $500 million at the box office.
Schwarzenegger has been writing a two part book about his life called Arnold.
The book will no doubt shed light on his childhood growing up in Austria, before moving to America and becoming a movie sensation in Hollywood.
It's highly likely that the book will also delve into his life in politics as he was the Republican Governor of California from 2003 to 2011.