Did Arnold Schwarzenegger have an accent coach?

By Anushree Dinesh Burad

Modified Mar 13, 2024 12:33 GMT

Arnold Schwarzenegger's movies are defined by his unique accent and his immaculate physique, but there was a time when his accent was criticized and he even tried to change it. In an interview on the Howard Stern Show, Arnold spoke about his journey through Hollywood.

When Arnold Schwarzenegger moved from Austria to the United States, he was focused on becoming the greatest bodybuilder of all time, which he surely achieved. He went on to win the Mr. Universe title at the age of 20, which was followed by seven consecutive Mr. Olympia titles from 1969 to 1975 and 1980.

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Arnold Schwarzenegger's lines were dubbed by another actor for his first movie, Hercules Goes to New York

In 1970, after winning two Mr. Olympia titles, Arnold Schwarzenegger bagged his first movie role for Hercules in an upcoming film called Hercules Goes to New York. However, the producers criticized him for his long name and his thick foreign accent. Due to this, all of his lines were dubbed by another actor and his name was introduced as Arnold Strong.

However, the manipulation of his name and voice did not affect him. He said,

“I was so amazed that I just got off the boar and all the stuff I read about Hollywood and America became true. This is incredible. I must be dreaming."

Many even doubted his success in acting and told him that his Austrian accent was putting down the American audience. However, Arnold answered the critics with his success.

Instead, he started acting classes. He also hired voice and accent removal coaches and worked on his accent for over a decade.

After spending a decade trying to change his accent, he realized that his accent is something that entertained his fans, so he stopped everything and was confident being his natural self. While many considered his accent to be his greatest weakness, Arnold Schwarzenegger made it his biggest strength.

He even said jokingly that the "That guy (accent coach) should give me my money back, by the way."

This was in reference to the fact that Arnold's accent and voice form his trademark, and several actors, comedians, and fans are constantly seen trying to imitate him.

Over the next two decades, Arnold landed lead roles in some of Hollywood's leading franchises, including the Expendables, Conan the Barbarian, Terminator, Predator, and more.

Arnold further shared that he achieved everything that he dreamed of.

“My dream was for me to make this a ticket into movies. And to elevate bodybuilding as a sport.”

Towards the end of the interview, Arnold shared his success formula.

"From the time you set a big goal, you will have the naysayers say 'this is stupid, you’ll never make it, this is ridiculous, no one has ever done this,' but you totally forget that you can break new ground and do things that no one has ever done before. I was determined to do that," said the Conan star.

Arnold has been successful in every field he has entered, from bodybuilding, acting, business and now as a politician. He is a perfect example of how one can change their life by determinedly following their dreams.

Eventually, Arnold was known to only appear in blockbuster films. He started his first movie with a paycheck of $10,000, but was eventually offered billions to feature in movies.

At 75 years old, Arnold Schwarzenegger continues to work towards his vision and currently serves as the most recent Republican governor of California.