Featured Image Credit: Joseph Baena/Arnold Schwarzenegger/Instagram
Topics: Celebrity, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Entertainment
Emily Brown
Topics: Celebrity, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Entertainment
The son of The Terminator star Arnold Schwarzenegger has recalled his 'vivid' memories of the time his father's identity was revealed.
Joseph Baena was born in 1997 and grew up in Bakersfield, California, in a 'humble home' with his mother, Guatemalan-born Mildred Baena, and older siblings.
Mildred kept the truth about Baena's father a secret throughout his childhood until 2011, when it became impossible to deny the resemblance between Joseph and Schwarzenegger, for who Mildred had worked as a housekeeper when he was married to Maria Shriver.
News of Schwarzenegger's son became public and resulted in a media frenzy, with Baena recalling to Men's Health how his mum pulled him out of class in eighth grade because 'everyone [was] finding out' about him.
Baena was just 13 years old when his dad's identity became public, recalling: 'Your body’s transforming; your mind is transforming. And now my life transformed before my eyes.'
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In a bid to avoid the public eye, Baena and his mother hid out with relatives in Texas, where they knew they 'had each other's backs'.
He said: 'She was really the only person I had, and I was really the only person that she had. No one knew, and everyone wanted the details.'
When Baena started high school he found that he couldn't tell who his friends were, noting 'the trust factor became really difficult', but he found his feet when he joined the swim team and realised he was 'born for the water'.
Now an aspiring actor and bodybuilder, Baena bonded with his father over fitness and was able to 'acquire a bodybuilding mentality' in college.
He recalled his father giving him the book The Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding to guide his training, but explained he was 'too proud' to call the actor for help, even though he knew he could. Instead he went 'straight to the book', wanting to 'figure it out' for himself.
Though he made 'insane progress' with his body during college, he now knows it's 'not just about fitness all the time' as he also cares about his lifestyle, friends, family and 'having fun at work'.
Baena has admitted it 'took a little bit for [him] to realise' that he didn't have to do what his dad did, but he has found joy in his work and hopes to become an 'award-winning actor with lots of real estate experience'.
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