It was hard to imagine a bodybuilder chatting with Johnny Carson until we saw him on The Tonight Show. We couldn’t have pictured someone with 21-inch biceps as the highest-paid actor in show business until we saw him in Conan the Barbarian. We couldn’t have imagined the guy who played a convincing killer robot in The Terminator becoming the governor of our most populous state.

 

Decades later, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s journey from Austrian bodybuilder to Hollywood legend is one of the greatest American success stories. Despite highs like being a seven-time Mr. Olympia and a two-time governor of California, he has also faced lows such as steroid use, Gropergate, and a public divorce.

After leaving public office in 2011, Schwarzenegger has been involved in promoting bodybuilding through events like the Arnold Sports Festival and returning to movies with the upcoming Terminator 6. He continues to be involved in politics, advocating for climate change through R20 and supporting better education and fitness opportunities for disadvantaged children.

Men’s Health‘s former fitness director Lou Schuler spoke with the 71-year-old Arnold Schwarzenegger in Budapest, where he was filming the new Terminator. Despite his aged appearance, his iconic voice remains unmistakable.