‘FUBAR’ star Arnold Schwarzenegger's parents thought he was gay due to childhood obsession with bodybuilders
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Arnold Schwarzenegger, 75, may look all imposing with his broad set shoulders and impressive stature, but his current fitness is the result of the dedication he showed towards his first love - bodybuilding. The life of fitness also served him well as he took to acting and was one of Hollywood’s most famous and bankable action heroes in the '90s. The action star is now ready to make a comeback with his first Netflix show, ‘FUBAR’.
'FUBAR' chronicles the life of a soon-to-be-retired CIA agent going on his last mission. For ‘The Terminator’ actor, who started his career as a professional bodybuilder, there was a time in life when bodybuilding caused him misery. He was denied the basic prerequisite of a successful career which many children take for granted - the support of his parents. Schwarzenegger, who grew up in a strict Austrian Catholic household, said his parents thought he was “gay” because of his passion for bodybuilding.
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Once in an ‘Ask Arnold’ session, the legend shared about his strict upbringing, which often involved the unsparing use of rods. “Back then in Austria it was a very different world -- if we did something bad or we disobeyed our parents, the rod was not spared. It was still the yardstick at school.”
In his autobiography, ‘Total Recall’, the ‘Predator’ star detailed the physical and mental abuse he had to endure because of his love for bodybuilding. As other boys of his age had posters of girls over their bedsteads, he had the posters of professional bodybuilders who inspired him to finally chart his career along the same path.
'He ran after me with a belt'
In an appearance on ‘60 Minutes’, Schwarzenegger recalled his father "ran after me with a belt and beat me” because of his proclivity towards bodybuilding and his hobby of collecting posters of male bodybuilders. His parents, the former governor of California revealed, were extremely worried that "something was off" and asked for help from the doctors, as per Hello!.
The ‘Commando’ star recalled, "I don't know if mum thought I was gay, or if she just thought there was something off.” However, he noted that even if his mother might not have been convinced he was gay, she had the mentality of whatever it was, “let's catch it early." The father of five recalled, "She asked the doctor, 'Can you help me? I don't know if there's something wrong with my son because his wall is full of naked men. All of Arnold's friends have pictures of girls above their bed. And Arnold has no girls.'"
Arnold Schwarzenegger's relationship with his son Joseph Baena
The ‘Batman & Robin’ star himself had a troubled relationship with his son Joseph Baena. Baena was born out of wedlock from Schwarzenegger’s affair with his housekeeper Mildred Baena while being married to Maria Shriver. The action movie star has written about the various times he was unfaithful to his wife in his autobiography. He, however, did not even know about the existence of the son he fathered with Mildred until Joseph was seven and started resembling him.