HIGHLIGHTS
Schwarzenegger’s bodybuilding career served as a stepping stone to his dream of becoming a Hollywood star.
To play the role of Conan, Schwarzenegger had to undergo 18 months of intense training and change his physique.
Schwarzenegger’s role in Conan the Barbarian jump-started his career as an action star and led to his iconic role in The Terminator.
Arnold Schwarzenegger is without a doubt, one of the most recognized action stars of his generation. From The Terminator To Predator, Total Recall, and other films that would go on to earn more than $100 million at the box office, Schwarzenegger was one of the iconic action stars of the 1980s and 1990s.
Given that Schwarzenegger was well known on the bodybuilding and competition circuit, a career that Schwarzenegger did not want for any of his sons, that was where many thought that Schwarzenegger wanted to put all of his energies.
But, being a bodybuilder or Mr. Olympia was never the end goal for the future governor of California.
The competitions paid off because they eventually got Schwarzenegger noticed by filmmakers who were looking to cast the lead role in Conan the Barbarian.
In fact, it was a documentary called Pumping Iron that featured Schwarzenegger that showed he had an undeniable screen presence that solidified that Schwarzenegger was who should be cast as Conan.
But in order to secure the role, Schwarzenegger had to do things like bulk up and agree to bite a dead vulture. Things that Schwarzenegger agreed to, to make his dream of becoming a Hollywood star come true.
Arnold Schwarzenegger Was Cast In ‘Conan The Barbarian’ Because His Looks
Schwarzenegger was cast in Conan the Barbarian because of how he looked.
However, that did not mean that there were no tweaks that the Kindergarten Cop star had to make to his physique to bring the character to life.
This meant that the Mr. Olympia star had to stop working out and dieting like a bodybuilder and instead become a barbarian.
John Milius was the first director that Schwarzenegger had worked with on a major film. Because of this, Schwarzenegger looked up to Milius and took his direction without question.
When Milius wanted “Schwarzenegger to look more athletic… the Austrian had to undergo an 18-month training regime that included running, weight-lifting, horseback riding, rope climbing, and swimming.”
All of this Schwarzenegger did gladly, enjoying the dedication that Milius had to the project.
“Working with [director and co-writer] John Milius was fantastic, because he was so hard-core,” Schwarzenegger explained.
“But it is true that he thought I looked too much like a bodybuilder — I needed to lose some of the cuts because I had just won Mr. Olympia and I was way too ripped to be a barbarian. So he told me to eat normally and not diet at all — I let my body fat get to around 12%.”
Changing his appearance was not the only thing that Schwarzenegger had to agree to do by taking on the lead role in Conan the Barbarian.
He also had to get a bit gruesome to make the role believable on the big screen.
Why Arnold Schwarzenegger Had To Bite A Dead Vulture
For those who have seen Conan the Barbarian, there is a scene where he appears to bite a vulture. Most would assume that this was special effects, as what actor would actually do this stunt?
As it turns out, there were no special effects and Schwarzenegger took on the task of putting the head of a vulture, lice and all, in his mouth.
“It is true that I had to bite a real dead vulture because in those days they couldn’t make one that would look good in a close-up,” Schwarzenegger explained on Reddit.
“So they soaked it in alcohol to kill bacteria and dried it out. It still had lice.”
While the experience was not quite as gruesome given that the vulture was already dead versus going after a live one, there are not many actors who would go to the extremes of potentially putting their health at risk to get a shot.
But Schwarzenegger was determined to make his dreams of becoming a Hollywood star come true, which is exactly what happened after Conan the Barbarian hit the theaters.
‘Conan The Barbarian’ Began Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Career As An Action Star
Many credit The Terminator as the film that solidified Schwarzenegger as a bona fide action star.
But had it not been for Conan the Barbarian showcasing Schwarzenegger’s physicality and the ability to deliver the lines he has in a believable manner, The Terminator and subsequent action films may have never come to be.
When Schwarzenegger was cast in Conan the Barbarian, his accent was very thick. Instead of seeing it as a hindrance though, Milius knew it would help Schwarzenegger stand out with audiences.
As such, he “went head to head against [producer] Dino De Laurentiis who insisted on cutting much of Schwarzenegger’s dialogue because of his thick accent. Through all their compromises, the result was a hit.”
Given the box office and critical success of Conan the Barbarian, Schwarzenegger showed that he could “carry a movie on his own” as a virtual unknown. This led to the sequel, Conan the Destroyer.
While the second film was not as successful as the original, it got the attention of James Cameron who cast Schwarzenegger in The Terminator.
As soon as this happened, Schwarzenegger went from a solid action actor to an action superstar, who would eventually make outrageous demands on Terminator 3. This showed just how far Schwarzenegger had come in such a short time.
Had it not been for the natural screen presence that Schwarzenegger had as a weight lifter and the faith Milius had in his ability to be an action star, Schwarzenegger’s career may not have taken off as quickly as it did.
While his career and personal life have taken many twists and turns since then, Schwarzenegger will always be remembered as one of the original action stars that, in this day and age, are a dying breed.
