WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.540 Welcome back to The Deep Dive. You brought us 00:00:01.540 --> 00:00:03.879 an incredible stack of sources today focused 00:00:03.879 --> 00:00:07.120 on a life that feels almost too expansive to 00:00:07.120 --> 00:00:10.039 be real. It really does. We are deep diving into 00:00:10.039 --> 00:00:13.619 Arnold Schwarzenegger, a man who, frankly, defined 00:00:13.619 --> 00:00:16.579 three separate, intensely demanding careers. 00:00:17.179 --> 00:00:20.879 It's a study in relentless, multifaceted ambition. 00:00:21.219 --> 00:00:22.699 I mean, we're not just looking at a successful 00:00:22.699 --> 00:00:25.620 actor or a champion athlete or a politician. 00:00:25.980 --> 00:00:29.300 We are analyzing a cultural architect who fundamentally 00:00:29.300 --> 00:00:31.859 reinvented himself across, what, three decades. 00:00:32.079 --> 00:00:34.719 And in doing so, he reshaped our concepts of 00:00:34.719 --> 00:00:37.820 physical potential, blockbuster heroism, and 00:00:37.820 --> 00:00:40.140 eventually political leadership. In one of the 00:00:40.140 --> 00:00:41.880 world's largest economies, no less. Exactly. 00:00:42.000 --> 00:00:43.960 Okay, so let's unpack this for you, for the learner. 00:00:44.119 --> 00:00:47.170 Our mission here is to take these... And really 00:00:47.170 --> 00:00:50.289 understand the actual engine driving this success. 00:00:50.509 --> 00:00:53.030 We need to go beyond the myth. We're looking 00:00:53.030 --> 00:00:55.850 for the defining conflicts, the insights. So 00:00:55.850 --> 00:00:58.990 how did the poverty and the trauma of his childhood 00:00:58.990 --> 00:01:02.070 in Austria become the fuel for his American ambition? 00:01:02.390 --> 00:01:05.829 And how did that extreme, almost obsessive physical 00:01:05.829 --> 00:01:08.689 discipline translate directly into political 00:01:08.689 --> 00:01:11.969 power? Right. And crucially, what was the private 00:01:11.969 --> 00:01:15.430 personal cost of setting such intensely public. 00:01:15.719 --> 00:01:18.659 decades -long goals. We absolutely have to move 00:01:18.659 --> 00:01:20.319 chronologically. I think that's the only way 00:01:20.319 --> 00:01:22.079 to do it. We have to start right at the beginning. 00:01:22.239 --> 00:01:24.560 The foundation. The foundations of the Austrian 00:01:24.560 --> 00:01:26.859 Oaks. That's key to understanding the sheer force 00:01:26.859 --> 00:01:29.980 of will he developed. It's the origin story of 00:01:29.980 --> 00:01:32.540 a relentless self -made man. That sets the stage 00:01:32.540 --> 00:01:35.420 perfectly. We begin with part one, the foundation's 00:01:35.420 --> 00:01:37.140 body of building and the rise of the Austrian 00:01:37.140 --> 00:01:39.700 Oak. Let's do it. Arnold Elois Schwarzenegger 00:01:39.700 --> 00:01:43.719 was born in Thal, Styria. Austria. That's on 00:01:43.719 --> 00:01:47.219 July 30th, 1947. The sources really emphasized 00:01:47.219 --> 00:01:49.680 that his youth was set against this backdrop 00:01:49.680 --> 00:01:54.299 of post -war scarcity. And rigid traditional 00:01:54.299 --> 00:01:57.700 European conformity. Yeah. So what was the material 00:01:57.700 --> 00:02:00.340 reality of his upbringing like? It was incredibly 00:02:00.340 --> 00:02:02.319 sparse. I mean, particularly when you contrast 00:02:02.319 --> 00:02:04.560 it with the, you know, the immense wealth he 00:02:04.560 --> 00:02:06.400 would later accumulate. He grew up in a strict 00:02:06.400 --> 00:02:09.280 Catholic household and money was just a constant 00:02:09.280 --> 00:02:11.939 source of stress. He often recounted that simply 00:02:11.939 --> 00:02:14.960 getting a refrigerator. Refrigerator. Yeah. A 00:02:14.960 --> 00:02:17.800 major appliance, a sign of modernity, was a major 00:02:17.800 --> 00:02:20.460 high point for his family. A powerful status 00:02:20.460 --> 00:02:24.219 symbol in Thao. Wow. So that scarcity, that constant 00:02:24.219 --> 00:02:27.680 awareness of lack, became this profound early 00:02:27.680 --> 00:02:30.460 motivator to just completely reject that life. 00:02:30.740 --> 00:02:33.340 And tied to that economic hardship was a challenging 00:02:33.340 --> 00:02:36.500 and often traumatic domestic environment. The 00:02:36.500 --> 00:02:39.280 discipline enforced by his father, Gustav. was 00:02:39.280 --> 00:02:42.199 extreme. The sources, I mean, including Arnold's 00:02:42.199 --> 00:02:44.560 own memoirs, make it very clear that he suffered 00:02:44.560 --> 00:02:46.460 what we would classify today as child abuse. 00:02:46.740 --> 00:02:49.099 He spoke of being hit with belts, having his 00:02:49.099 --> 00:02:51.659 hair pulled, and the severity was, well, unfortunately 00:02:51.659 --> 00:02:54.460 not uncommon in the rigid German -Austrian culture 00:02:54.460 --> 00:02:57.259 of the time. The expectation was absolute conformity. 00:02:57.340 --> 00:02:59.479 But what's so fascinating and what became the 00:02:59.479 --> 00:03:01.900 driving force is that Arnold saw this environment 00:03:01.900 --> 00:03:04.159 not as a reason to submit, but as a reason to 00:03:04.159 --> 00:03:07.599 rebel, to escape. So he didn't just survive the 00:03:07.599 --> 00:03:10.560 pressure. He used it as kindling for this huge 00:03:10.560 --> 00:03:13.280 fire. Exactly. He made the conscious decision. 00:03:13.759 --> 00:03:16.240 Every time I got hit and every time someone said, 00:03:16.300 --> 00:03:18.599 you can't do this, I said, this is not going 00:03:18.599 --> 00:03:20.259 to be for much longer because I'm going to move 00:03:20.259 --> 00:03:22.280 out of here. He just decided. He decided, I want 00:03:22.280 --> 00:03:24.919 to be rich. I want to be somebody. And adding 00:03:24.919 --> 00:03:27.060 to this pressure was the fact that his father, 00:03:27.379 --> 00:03:30.620 Gustav, who was the local police chief, clearly 00:03:30.620 --> 00:03:33.400 favored his older brother, Meinhard. Why was 00:03:33.400 --> 00:03:36.340 that? It was due to these long -held, unfounded 00:03:36.340 --> 00:03:38.759 suspicions that Arnold was not his biological 00:03:38.759 --> 00:03:42.340 son. Wow. Yeah, the sources described that favoritism 00:03:42.340 --> 00:03:45.580 as both strong and blatant, and it just pushed 00:03:45.580 --> 00:03:48.560 Arnold further into his own world, his own ambitions. 00:03:48.639 --> 00:03:51.120 We have to address the layer of complexity his 00:03:51.120 --> 00:03:53.500 father introduced, particularly regarding his 00:03:53.500 --> 00:03:56.460 history during World War II, which became a significant 00:03:56.460 --> 00:04:00.000 public issue during the 2003 gubernatorial campaign. 00:04:00.439 --> 00:04:02.280 Gustav Schwarzenegger is certainly a controversial 00:04:02.280 --> 00:04:04.400 part of this origin story. The records confirm 00:04:04.400 --> 00:04:07.159 that following the Anschluss in 1938, he joined 00:04:07.159 --> 00:04:10.060 the Nazi party. And in 1939, he joined the SA, 00:04:10.300 --> 00:04:13.719 the Sturmabteilung. The brown shirts. Yeah. And 00:04:13.719 --> 00:04:17.019 throughout World War II, Gustav served as a military 00:04:17.019 --> 00:04:20.639 policeman. This meant he was involved in logistical 00:04:20.639 --> 00:04:23.720 and enforcement operations across major fronts. 00:04:23.980 --> 00:04:25.920 Including some of the worst of the war. Oh, yeah. 00:04:26.250 --> 00:04:29.149 The invasion of Poland, the campaign in France, 00:04:29.269 --> 00:04:31.509 and the massive invasion of the Soviet Union. 00:04:31.790 --> 00:04:34.269 He was specifically involved in the harrowing 00:04:34.269 --> 00:04:36.689 siege of Leningrad, correct? That's right. He 00:04:36.689 --> 00:04:39.209 rose to the rank of Hauptfeldwebel and served 00:04:39.209 --> 00:04:42.689 actively in those theaters until 1942 when he 00:04:42.689 --> 00:04:44.930 was wounded near Leningrad and also contracted 00:04:44.930 --> 00:04:47.709 malaria. He was ultimately discharged from the 00:04:47.709 --> 00:04:51.410 military in early 1944. The record says no longer 00:04:51.410 --> 00:04:53.910 fully fit for field duty. And then he just resumed 00:04:53.910 --> 00:04:56.850 police work until 1947. It's crucial to maintain 00:04:56.850 --> 00:04:59.300 our balance here. What does the research tell 00:04:59.300 --> 00:05:02.420 us about his specific role in any wartime atrocities? 00:05:02.560 --> 00:05:05.459 So the consensus, and this includes analysis 00:05:05.459 --> 00:05:08.259 from Holocaust scholar Michael Berenbaum, is 00:05:08.259 --> 00:05:10.860 that while Gustav served in theaters of the war 00:05:10.860 --> 00:05:12.660 where atrocities were committed. Places like 00:05:12.660 --> 00:05:15.279 Poland and the Soviet Union. Right. The available 00:05:15.279 --> 00:05:17.720 documents do not establish his direct personal 00:05:17.720 --> 00:05:20.839 role in those specific actions. But this history 00:05:20.839 --> 00:05:23.639 provides vital context for Arnold's later political 00:05:23.639 --> 00:05:27.300 views. His entire philosophy, his embrace of 00:05:27.300 --> 00:05:30.060 rugged American individualism and free enterprise, 00:05:30.379 --> 00:05:33.920 was a deliberate, total rejection of that restrictive, 00:05:34.220 --> 00:05:37.279 conformist, and failed European past represented 00:05:37.279 --> 00:05:40.620 by his father's generation. This rejection, this 00:05:40.620 --> 00:05:43.959 fierce desire to forge a destiny entirely separate 00:05:43.959 --> 00:05:47.240 from Thal, it all crystallized in his commitment 00:05:47.240 --> 00:05:50.120 to the Iron Game. That's it. He chose bodybuilding 00:05:50.120 --> 00:05:53.139 as a career path at age 14, even though his father 00:05:53.139 --> 00:05:56.199 tried to push him toward... What was it? Bavarian 00:05:56.199 --> 00:05:58.560 curling? Bavarian curling, yeah. But his decision 00:05:58.560 --> 00:06:00.540 was absolute. He discovered weightlifting around 00:06:00.540 --> 00:06:03.319 1960 when his soccer coach took the team to a 00:06:03.319 --> 00:06:05.870 local gym. And it just clicked. What started 00:06:05.870 --> 00:06:07.829 as an interest immediately became an obsession. 00:06:08.189 --> 00:06:10.790 The singular focus of his life. His dedication 00:06:10.790 --> 00:06:13.589 was immediately legendary, even extreme. The 00:06:13.589 --> 00:06:15.310 famous anecdote. The anecdote about breaking 00:06:15.310 --> 00:06:17.589 into the local gym on weekends when it was closed, 00:06:17.769 --> 00:06:20.449 climbing through windows just to train. It speaks 00:06:20.449 --> 00:06:23.129 volumes. It's that famous quote that perfectly 00:06:23.129 --> 00:06:24.970 sums up his internal pressure, isn't it? Yeah. 00:06:25.029 --> 00:06:27.790 It is. He said, it would make me sick to miss 00:06:27.790 --> 00:06:29.990 a workout. I knew I couldn't look at myself in 00:06:29.990 --> 00:06:31.709 the mirror the next morning if I didn't do it. 00:06:32.060 --> 00:06:34.199 This wasn't just about exercise. No, no. It was 00:06:34.199 --> 00:06:36.720 about self -mastery. It was about escaping the 00:06:36.720 --> 00:06:39.300 constraints of his reality. And this intensity 00:06:39.300 --> 00:06:42.660 clashed directly with his civic duty. In 1965, 00:06:43.000 --> 00:06:45.540 he was required to serve one year in the Austrian 00:06:45.540 --> 00:06:48.279 army. But even the military couldn't slow his 00:06:48.279 --> 00:06:50.759 pursuit of the Mr. Europe title. Not a chance. 00:06:50.879 --> 00:06:53.860 He went AWOL absent without official leave during 00:06:53.860 --> 00:06:57.220 basic training to compete in and win. The Junior 00:06:57.220 --> 00:06:59.300 Mystery Europe Contest. And the consequence. 00:06:59.620 --> 00:07:02.360 A week in military prison. But to him, that was 00:07:02.360 --> 00:07:04.879 a small, acceptable price for achieving a major 00:07:04.879 --> 00:07:08.220 goal. Bodybuilding was his ticket to America, 00:07:08.439 --> 00:07:10.860 and he wasn't going to let regulations hold him 00:07:10.860 --> 00:07:13.079 back. He started small, placed second in his 00:07:13.079 --> 00:07:16.120 first big contest in 66, but the transition from 00:07:16.120 --> 00:07:18.560 there was incredibly swift. Remarkably swift. 00:07:18.660 --> 00:07:20.899 He spent some time in London improving his, you 00:07:20.899 --> 00:07:23.680 know, his rudimentary English. But more importantly, 00:07:23.819 --> 00:07:26.240 he was working on his weakest points, his legs, 00:07:26.360 --> 00:07:28.540 under the guidance of a judge who recognized 00:07:28.540 --> 00:07:32.160 his raw potential. And it worked. By 1967, at 00:07:32.160 --> 00:07:35.639 the age of 20, he won the NBA Mr. Universe title. 00:07:36.060 --> 00:07:38.759 He was the youngest person ever to do so. That 00:07:38.759 --> 00:07:41.000 same year, he fulfilled his plan and moved to 00:07:41.000 --> 00:07:44.279 the U .S. in October 1968, settling in Venice, 00:07:44.420 --> 00:07:47.019 California. The Mecca. Trading under Joe Weider 00:07:47.019 --> 00:07:49.519 at Goals Gym, he quickly conquered the competitive 00:07:49.519 --> 00:07:52.120 apex of the sport. He captured his first Mr. 00:07:52.300 --> 00:07:55.759 Olympia title in 1970 at age 23, still the youngest 00:07:55.759 --> 00:07:58.120 champion in the contest's history. A record that 00:07:58.120 --> 00:08:00.600 still stands. It does. And he would go on to 00:08:00.600 --> 00:08:03.819 win seven Mr. Olympia titles in total. His physical 00:08:03.819 --> 00:08:06.420 specifications were just staggering for the time. 00:08:06.600 --> 00:08:10.240 Six foot two, a contest weight of 235 pounds, 00:08:10.279 --> 00:08:13.040 and a 57 -inch chest. And it wasn't just aesthetics. 00:08:13.139 --> 00:08:15.120 The sources highlight his pure strength, too. 00:08:15.439 --> 00:08:18.019 Absolutely. The man was a powerlifter. He could 00:08:18.019 --> 00:08:21.779 bench press 520 pounds and deadlift 683 pounds. 00:08:21.899 --> 00:08:23.980 And, you know, going back to his Austrian roots, 00:08:24.079 --> 00:08:26.620 he won the Munich stone lifting contest, lifting 00:08:26.620 --> 00:08:29.379 a monstrous 560 pound stone. That's incredible. 00:08:29.579 --> 00:08:31.439 It's that blend of massive sculpted physique 00:08:31.439 --> 00:08:33.940 and raw old world strongman power that earned 00:08:33.940 --> 00:08:36.559 him the moniker the Austrian Oak. Here is where 00:08:36.559 --> 00:08:38.980 we must connect his physical discipline to the 00:08:38.980 --> 00:08:41.960 intellectual engine we promised to explore. How 00:08:41.960 --> 00:08:44.559 did he translate visualization and extreme training 00:08:44.559 --> 00:08:47.720 into a broader life philosophy? This is the crucial 00:08:47.720 --> 00:08:50.559 link. Arnold developed what he called his six 00:08:50.559 --> 00:08:53.620 rules of success based entirely on his bodybuilding 00:08:53.620 --> 00:08:56.480 experience. Rule number one was trust yourself. 00:08:57.549 --> 00:09:00.049 But the most potent was the power of visualization. 00:09:00.289 --> 00:09:03.190 He believed that the mind needed to have a finished, 00:09:03.330 --> 00:09:06.389 absolute, detailed picture of the goal, the Mr. 00:09:06.429 --> 00:09:09.289 Olympia trophy, the movie script, the governor's 00:09:09.289 --> 00:09:11.649 office, before the body or the actions could 00:09:11.649 --> 00:09:14.610 follow. So if you could visualize a perfect 57 00:09:14.610 --> 00:09:17.879 -inch chest. he could certainly visualize a political 00:09:17.879 --> 00:09:21.039 victory or a blockbuster contract compounding 00:09:21.039 --> 00:09:23.899 ambition precisely his high volume training philosophy 00:09:23.899 --> 00:09:26.120 shocking the muscles with intensity translated 00:09:26.120 --> 00:09:28.460 into shocking the system with unexpected moves 00:09:28.460 --> 00:09:31.220 like the twins comedy deal or the political recall 00:09:31.220 --> 00:09:33.539 run it's the same pattern he treated his life 00:09:33.539 --> 00:09:35.460 goals like a complex muscle group that needed 00:09:35.460 --> 00:09:38.120 constant varied and intense stimulation to grow 00:09:38.120 --> 00:09:41.399 however this era of intense goal setting also 00:09:41.399 --> 00:09:43.940 gave rise to significant early controversies 00:09:44.250 --> 00:09:48.210 The 1977 documentary Pumping Iron made him famous, 00:09:48.370 --> 00:09:50.610 but it also painted a picture of ruthlessness. 00:09:50.850 --> 00:09:53.990 It did. The most infamous moment was his claim 00:09:53.990 --> 00:09:56.009 in the film that he skipped his own father's 00:09:56.009 --> 00:09:59.309 1972 funeral to train for a contest. Which was 00:09:59.309 --> 00:10:02.799 later revealed to be... Not exactly true. Right. 00:10:02.879 --> 00:10:04.679 It was later admitted by both Arnold and the 00:10:04.679 --> 00:10:07.100 producer to be dramatized. They took the story 00:10:07.100 --> 00:10:09.879 from another bodybuilder purely to create a colder, 00:10:10.100 --> 00:10:12.539 more driven, almost villainous image for the 00:10:12.539 --> 00:10:15.049 camera. Plus it was manufactured drama. But was 00:10:15.049 --> 00:10:17.070 there a kernel of truth about his detachment? 00:10:17.230 --> 00:10:19.389 There was. While the funeral story was faked, 00:10:19.470 --> 00:10:21.429 the sources note that his first serious girlfriend, 00:10:21.809 --> 00:10:24.669 Barbara Baker, observed his lack of emotion concerning 00:10:24.669 --> 00:10:27.230 the deaths of both his father and, a year earlier, 00:10:27.470 --> 00:10:30.490 his brother, Meinhard. Meinhard died in a drunk 00:10:30.490 --> 00:10:34.090 driving crash in 1971. Yes. And she said he just... 00:10:34.539 --> 00:10:37.200 He compartmentalized profound tragedy in service 00:10:37.200 --> 00:10:39.799 of the grand plan. That is a highly revealing 00:10:39.799 --> 00:10:42.299 character trait. That detachment was fully tested 00:10:42.299 --> 00:10:45.419 in the 1980 Mr. Olympia comeback. Why did he 00:10:45.419 --> 00:10:47.919 return and why was that victory so widely disputed? 00:10:47.980 --> 00:10:51.200 He returned secretly. He had officially retired. 00:10:51.539 --> 00:10:54.220 But while he was preparing for his role as Conan, 00:10:54.440 --> 00:10:56.919 he was in excellent shape and just decided to 00:10:56.919 --> 00:10:59.059 jump into the contest with only seven weeks of 00:10:59.059 --> 00:11:01.840 focused preparation. And the controversy. It 00:11:01.840 --> 00:11:04.139 erupted because many competitors and critics 00:11:04.139 --> 00:11:06.700 felt his conditioning and his overall muscle 00:11:06.700 --> 00:11:09.940 mass, particularly in his legs, were not up to 00:11:09.940 --> 00:11:12.519 par compared to rivals like Mike Menser. It sounds 00:11:12.519 --> 00:11:15.120 like his celebrity had already begun to overshadow 00:11:15.120 --> 00:11:17.600 objective competitive judgment. That is exactly 00:11:17.600 --> 00:11:20.200 what Menser and other rivals claimed. They felt 00:11:20.200 --> 00:11:22.700 the judges were blinded by his fame and the drama 00:11:22.700 --> 00:11:26.230 of his return. Menzer, who came in fifth, felt 00:11:26.230 --> 00:11:28.669 totally cheated and retired immediately after 00:11:28.669 --> 00:11:30.970 the contest, saying the sport had become purely 00:11:30.970 --> 00:11:33.289 political. So the power of the Arnold brand was 00:11:33.289 --> 00:11:35.090 already a factor. It was already influencing 00:11:35.090 --> 00:11:37.649 results, foreshadowing his later crossover success. 00:11:38.009 --> 00:11:39.610 We also have to address the elephant in the room 00:11:39.610 --> 00:11:42.350 regarding the competitive reality of that era, 00:11:42.490 --> 00:11:46.269 steroid acknowledgement. Schwarzenegger was remarkably 00:11:46.269 --> 00:11:48.669 transparent about this when asked, especially 00:11:48.669 --> 00:11:51.629 because at the time he was competing, anabolic 00:11:51.629 --> 00:11:55.309 steroids were not illegal. In 1977, he specifically 00:11:55.309 --> 00:11:58.330 discussed his usage, claiming he used them not 00:11:58.330 --> 00:12:00.970 primarily for muscle growth, but for muscle maintenance 00:12:00.970 --> 00:12:04.669 while going through the incredibly strict dieting 00:12:04.669 --> 00:12:07.110 phase, the cutting up phase before competition. 00:12:07.570 --> 00:12:09.629 He called them tissue building drugs. Exactly. 00:12:09.629 --> 00:12:12.879 And later. When this usage was weaponized against 00:12:12.879 --> 00:12:14.919 him, particularly regarding his heart health, 00:12:15.139 --> 00:12:18.039 he fought back aggressively. He did. When he 00:12:18.039 --> 00:12:20.379 became a public figure in politics, his past 00:12:20.379 --> 00:12:24.399 was heavily scrutinized. In 1999, he sued a German 00:12:24.399 --> 00:12:27.080 doctor who publicly predicted his early death 00:12:27.080 --> 00:12:29.639 due to steroid use and his heart problems. And 00:12:29.639 --> 00:12:32.080 he won. He won a libel judgment because the doctor 00:12:32.080 --> 00:12:34.820 had never even examined him. He took that same 00:12:34.820 --> 00:12:38.039 aggressive, dominant approach, crushing perceived 00:12:38.039 --> 00:12:41.210 weakness to defending him. his image in the press. 00:12:41.409 --> 00:12:43.590 It speaks to the idea that from the very beginning, 00:12:43.730 --> 00:12:45.950 whether it was physical form, competitive results, 00:12:45.990 --> 00:12:48.490 or public narrative, he controlled the outcome 00:12:48.490 --> 00:12:51.450 with absolute force. So the ambition that built 00:12:51.450 --> 00:12:54.070 the strongest man translated into the beginning 00:12:54.070 --> 00:12:57.190 of the biggest movie star. The question now is, 00:12:57.309 --> 00:13:00.950 how do you take an image built on mass and aggression 00:13:00.950 --> 00:13:03.470 and translate that into the delicate machinery 00:13:03.470 --> 00:13:05.970 of Hollywood? That's a great transition because 00:13:05.970 --> 00:13:08.190 the challenges he faced in Hollywood were almost 00:13:08.190 --> 00:13:10.809 identical to the ones he faced in Austria. People 00:13:10.809 --> 00:13:13.269 telling him he didn't fit the mold. Which brings 00:13:13.269 --> 00:13:15.970 us right to part two, the action hero Hollywood 00:13:15.970 --> 00:13:18.950 and the crossover success. Here we go. Let's 00:13:18.950 --> 00:13:22.450 discuss the rocky start and early triumphs. For 00:13:22.450 --> 00:13:25.350 a man who achieved global fame so rapidly in 00:13:25.350 --> 00:13:27.789 sports, the initial resistance from the film 00:13:27.789 --> 00:13:30.370 industry must have been frustrating. It was incredibly 00:13:30.370 --> 00:13:33.190 frustrating. Hollywood agents, casting directors, 00:13:33.370 --> 00:13:36.429 they gave him four major strikes. His body was 00:13:36.429 --> 00:13:39.169 too weird. Too muscular. Too muscular, too bulky. 00:13:39.250 --> 00:13:41.789 His name is too long. You know, Schwarzenegger 00:13:41.789 --> 00:13:44.009 was unmarketable. His accent was too thick and 00:13:44.009 --> 00:13:46.029 he was too tall. They basically told him he had 00:13:46.029 --> 00:13:48.029 to become a different person to succeed. Which 00:13:48.029 --> 00:13:50.389 was a familiar refrain from his childhood. Exactly. 00:13:50.730 --> 00:13:53.889 He responded by doing what he always did, doubling 00:13:53.889 --> 00:13:56.529 down on his unique characteristics. His first 00:13:56.529 --> 00:14:00.269 film, Hercules in New York in 1970, saw him credited 00:14:00.269 --> 00:14:03.230 as Arnold Strong. And his accent was so heavy 00:14:03.230 --> 00:14:05.730 that his lines were dubbed over entirely. It 00:14:05.730 --> 00:14:07.970 was a humiliating start, but he was persistent 00:14:07.970 --> 00:14:10.870 and the sheer force of his personality started 00:14:10.870 --> 00:14:13.409 to break through. And he got recognition. He 00:14:13.409 --> 00:14:16.129 got his first major recognition outside of bodybuilding 00:14:16.129 --> 00:14:18.289 by winning a Golden Globe for New Star of the 00:14:18.289 --> 00:14:21.330 Year actor for Stay Hungry in 1977. And, of course, 00:14:21.409 --> 00:14:24.330 Pumping Iron in 77 helped bridge that gap between 00:14:24.330 --> 00:14:26.570 his athletic persona and his acting aspirations, 00:14:27.009 --> 00:14:29.549 showing audiences his larger -than -life character. 00:14:30.129 --> 00:14:32.789 But the true cinematic breakthrough came with 00:14:32.789 --> 00:14:35.570 the sword and sorcery genre. Conan the Barbarian 00:14:35.570 --> 00:14:38.429 in 1982 was the role that proved he could carry 00:14:38.429 --> 00:14:41.179 a major film. It was a box office success led 00:14:41.179 --> 00:14:43.919 to a sequel. But if Conan was the breakthrough, 00:14:44.120 --> 00:14:46.279 The Terminator was the one. The Terminator in 00:14:46.279 --> 00:14:49.100 1984, directed by James Cameron, was the signature 00:14:49.100 --> 00:14:51.639 role that cemented his image. The role of the 00:14:51.639 --> 00:14:54.399 emotionless, cybernetic killing machine was perfectly 00:14:54.399 --> 00:14:57.059 tailored to his physical presence and his limited, 00:14:57.240 --> 00:15:00.129 heavily accented dialogue. That iconic delivery 00:15:00.129 --> 00:15:02.970 of I'll be back launched him into the heart of 00:15:02.970 --> 00:15:06.129 the 1980s action hero wars. Which brings us to 00:15:06.129 --> 00:15:09.210 rivalry, revenue and range. Yes. This is where 00:15:09.210 --> 00:15:11.570 the competitive fire from bodybuilding translated 00:15:11.570 --> 00:15:14.889 directly into box office strategy. The rivalry 00:15:14.889 --> 00:15:18.110 with Sylvester Stallone defined the mid 80s to 00:15:18.110 --> 00:15:20.909 mid 90s action film landscape. They were engaged 00:15:20.909 --> 00:15:23.710 in an intense public and private feud. Oh, yeah. 00:15:23.769 --> 00:15:26.649 Using the press to fight and crucially using 00:15:26.649 --> 00:15:29.009 their films as competitive. vehicles. They were 00:15:29.009 --> 00:15:30.889 literally trying to outdo each other on screen, 00:15:30.990 --> 00:15:32.990 weren't they? They were. The competition involved 00:15:32.990 --> 00:15:36.129 escalating the sheer scale of the action, bigger 00:15:36.129 --> 00:15:38.629 explosions, larger weapons. And yes, counting 00:15:38.629 --> 00:15:41.470 who had the higher on screen kill count in films 00:15:41.470 --> 00:15:43.929 like Commando versus Rambo. It was an era of 00:15:43.929 --> 00:15:46.470 hyper masculinity taken to an extreme. But the 00:15:46.470 --> 00:15:48.570 sources suggest that what gave Arnold the commercial 00:15:48.570 --> 00:15:51.629 edge over Stallone was his ability to infuse 00:15:51.629 --> 00:15:54.620 his action roles with self -awareness. With humor. 00:15:54.740 --> 00:15:56.700 That's the key insight. Stallone was often very 00:15:56.700 --> 00:15:59.360 serious, very gritty. Arnold successfully inserted 00:15:59.360 --> 00:16:02.039 humor in those famous one -liners. You're a funny 00:16:02.039 --> 00:16:04.860 guy, Sully. I like you. That's why I'm going 00:16:04.860 --> 00:16:07.559 to kill you last. Right. And that made his violence 00:16:07.559 --> 00:16:10.559 palatable and fun for a broader family audience. 00:16:10.919 --> 00:16:14.100 He delivered a series of massive hits. Predator 00:16:14.100 --> 00:16:17.720 in 87, Total Recall in 90, and The Spectacular 00:16:17.720 --> 00:16:21.470 Two Lies in 1994. And then... The calculated 00:16:21.470 --> 00:16:24.990 risk that proved his commercial genius. The move 00:16:24.990 --> 00:16:28.710 into comedy with twins in 1988, alongside Danny 00:16:28.710 --> 00:16:31.490 DeVito. That was a huge gamble. Studios were 00:16:31.490 --> 00:16:33.909 resistant. They had a known formula for guaranteed 00:16:33.909 --> 00:16:37.110 action money, and they saw comedy as undermining 00:16:37.110 --> 00:16:39.690 that. But Arnold understood he needed to prove 00:16:39.690 --> 00:16:42.090 his range. And expand his market appeal beyond 00:16:42.090 --> 00:16:45.409 the 17 to 25 -year -old male demographic. The 00:16:45.409 --> 00:16:47.370 way he structured the deal for twins demonstrates 00:16:47.370 --> 00:16:50.230 his exceptional financial acumen, independent 00:16:50.230 --> 00:16:52.269 of his acting talent. This is a vital point for 00:16:52.269 --> 00:16:54.409 you. For the learner interested in business strategy, 00:16:54.710 --> 00:16:57.929 he took no upfront salary. A staggering decision 00:16:57.929 --> 00:17:00.629 for a star of his magnitude. Instead, he relied 00:17:00.629 --> 00:17:03.009 entirely on profit participation, or the back 00:17:03.009 --> 00:17:04.890 end of the film's earnings, after the studio 00:17:04.890 --> 00:17:07.069 recouped their expenses. This wasn't just a r 00:17:07.069 --> 00:17:09.750 - It was a strategic power move. He bet on himself. 00:17:10.009 --> 00:17:12.210 And it paid off. When the film was a massive 00:17:12.210 --> 00:17:14.390 success, it resulted in a paycheck estimated 00:17:14.390 --> 00:17:18.109 at over $40 million. So he didn't just earn a 00:17:18.109 --> 00:17:21.349 huge paycheck. He fundamentally changed how A 00:17:21.349 --> 00:17:23.950 -list stars could negotiate outside of their 00:17:23.950 --> 00:17:26.390 comfort genre. He proved he was an enterprise 00:17:26.390 --> 00:17:30.029 first and an actor second. It was compound interest 00:17:30.029 --> 00:17:33.009 on his star power. His commercial peak was arguably 00:17:33.009 --> 00:17:36.869 Terminator 2, Judgment Day in 1991, which just 00:17:36.869 --> 00:17:39.309 redefined special effects and became the highest 00:17:39.309 --> 00:17:41.940 grossing film of the year. The critic Roger Ebert 00:17:41.940 --> 00:17:44.539 nailed his talent at the time. He did. He noted 00:17:44.539 --> 00:17:46.799 his genius lay in selecting roles that built 00:17:46.799 --> 00:17:49.400 upon his unique physical and vocal characteristics 00:17:49.400 --> 00:17:51.940 rather than trying to hide them. But Hollywood's 00:17:51.940 --> 00:17:54.240 success is cyclical. The sources mark a decline 00:17:54.240 --> 00:17:56.799 starting in the mid -90s. What happened? Fatigue 00:17:56.799 --> 00:17:59.279 set in. First, the self -aware action comedy 00:17:59.279 --> 00:18:02.819 spoof. Last Action Hero in 1993 failed commercially. 00:18:03.119 --> 00:18:05.519 It was just dominated by Jurassic Park that summer. 00:18:05.740 --> 00:18:08.079 Totally. Then came the critical failure of Batman 00:18:08.079 --> 00:18:10.740 and Robin in 1997, where he played Mr. Freeze. 00:18:11.059 --> 00:18:13.440 That film was widely panned and seemed to mark 00:18:13.440 --> 00:18:15.559 the beginning of his blockbuster formula running 00:18:15.559 --> 00:18:18.160 out of steam. Subsequent films struggled to recapture 00:18:18.160 --> 00:18:21.220 that magic. Exactly. Films like End of Days, 00:18:21.500 --> 00:18:24.339 The Sixth Day, and Collateral Damage just didn't 00:18:24.339 --> 00:18:26.759 land with audiences the way his earlier hits 00:18:26.759 --> 00:18:29.720 had. He needed another Terminator to revitalize 00:18:29.720 --> 00:18:32.700 the brand. Which he got with Terminator 3. Rise 00:18:32.700 --> 00:18:36.400 of the Machines in 2003, right before his massive 00:18:36.400 --> 00:18:38.980 political pivot. And even with the decline, his 00:18:38.980 --> 00:18:42.059 films have collectively grossed over $5 .4 billion 00:18:42.059 --> 00:18:46.240 worldwide, an astronomical number. He then shifted 00:18:46.240 --> 00:18:48.960 entirely, which brings us to his return to the 00:18:48.960 --> 00:18:52.079 screen post -Govership. For seven years, he effectively 00:18:52.079 --> 00:18:54.630 pressed pause on his acting career. From 2004 00:18:54.630 --> 00:18:57.170 to 2010, his appearances were limited to short, 00:18:57.289 --> 00:19:00.349 often uncredited cameos fulfilling old obligations, 00:19:00.490 --> 00:19:02.630 like in The Rundown or The Expendables. When 00:19:02.630 --> 00:19:04.910 he left office in 2011, he was ready to jump 00:19:04.910 --> 00:19:07.589 back in, but a major personal crisis forced him 00:19:07.589 --> 00:19:10.750 to halt all projects. Including the highly publicized 00:19:10.750 --> 00:19:12.890 Stan Lee collaboration, The Governator. Yeah, 00:19:12.950 --> 00:19:14.990 that planned comic book and animated series was 00:19:14.990 --> 00:19:17.009 just stopped in its tracks. Once that personal 00:19:17.009 --> 00:19:19.539 issue was addressed, he returned strong. He did. 00:19:19.779 --> 00:19:22.240 His first leading role in a decade was The Last 00:19:22.240 --> 00:19:25.519 Stand in 2013, followed by a reunion with Stallone 00:19:25.519 --> 00:19:28.160 in Escape Plan the same year. He returned to 00:19:28.160 --> 00:19:30.519 the Terminator franchise, though with diminishing 00:19:30.519 --> 00:19:34.099 success. But his most significant recent transition 00:19:34.099 --> 00:19:36.220 has been into the streaming era. That's where 00:19:36.220 --> 00:19:38.619 he's adapted his brand for the digital age. How 00:19:38.619 --> 00:19:42.680 so? The Netflix docuseries Arnold in 2023 provided 00:19:42.680 --> 00:19:45.339 a comprehensive retrospective look at his three 00:19:45.339 --> 00:19:48.480 careers, which served as a powerful brand relaunch. 00:19:48.539 --> 00:19:51.859 And then came Fubar. Then he secured his first 00:19:51.859 --> 00:19:54.279 leading scripted television role in the action 00:19:54.279 --> 00:19:57.309 comedy Fubar. That show debuted at number one 00:19:57.309 --> 00:19:59.769 globally for Netflix, cementing his ability to 00:19:59.769 --> 00:20:01.710 transition his star power and physical humor 00:20:01.710 --> 00:20:04.849 into any new format. It proves his image, built 00:20:04.849 --> 00:20:07.210 on the action hero archetype he perfected, remains 00:20:07.210 --> 00:20:10.309 viable even in his 70s. So the ambition that 00:20:10.309 --> 00:20:13.210 built The Strongest Man translated into the biggest 00:20:13.210 --> 00:20:15.930 movie star and a commercial genius. The question 00:20:15.930 --> 00:20:19.380 now is... How does a persona built on mass aggression 00:20:19.380 --> 00:20:22.579 and calculated risk translate into the delicate 00:20:22.579 --> 00:20:25.140 machinery of political office? And what happens 00:20:25.140 --> 00:20:27.660 when that force of will runs up against political 00:20:27.660 --> 00:20:30.380 reality? That is the essential transition. We 00:20:30.380 --> 00:20:32.900 move now to part three, the governator, politics 00:20:32.900 --> 00:20:35.660 and policy. His political identity was formed 00:20:35.660 --> 00:20:37.740 the moment he stepped off the plane in 1968. 00:20:37.940 --> 00:20:40.440 Let's discuss his political ideology in public 00:20:40.440 --> 00:20:42.900 life. He was instantly drawn to the Republican 00:20:42.900 --> 00:20:46.559 Party. Why? This choice is deeply rooted in his 00:20:46.559 --> 00:20:49.599 rejection of his Austrian origins. When he arrived 00:20:49.599 --> 00:20:52.319 in 1968, he was watching the presidential race 00:20:52.319 --> 00:20:54.920 between Nixon and Humphrey. He needed a translator. 00:20:55.369 --> 00:20:57.789 And when he heard the Democratic rhetoric talk 00:20:57.789 --> 00:20:59.990 of government support, collective responsibility, 00:21:00.349 --> 00:21:03.069 extensive social safety nets, it immediately 00:21:03.069 --> 00:21:05.549 reminded him of the stifling socialism he had 00:21:05.549 --> 00:21:07.970 just fled. The world he escaped. The world where, 00:21:08.089 --> 00:21:10.470 as he noted, 18 -year -old kids were already 00:21:10.470 --> 00:21:13.029 discussing their retirement pensions. And then 00:21:13.029 --> 00:21:15.269 he heard the Republican message. He heard Richard 00:21:15.269 --> 00:21:17.750 Nixon talking about free enterprise, lowering 00:21:17.750 --> 00:21:20.130 taxes, getting the government off the backs of 00:21:20.130 --> 00:21:23.650 the individual. For Arnold, This was a philosophy 00:21:23.650 --> 00:21:25.869 that championed the individual struggle, the 00:21:25.869 --> 00:21:29.190 self -made man, the ultimate escape from conformity. 00:21:29.349 --> 00:21:32.210 So he just decided on the spot. He asked, what 00:21:32.210 --> 00:21:35.130 party is he? When told Republican, he declared, 00:21:35.369 --> 00:21:38.630 then I am a Republican. He links his philosophical 00:21:38.630 --> 00:21:41.190 inspiration directly to figures like economist 00:21:41.190 --> 00:21:44.250 Milton Friedman. And we have tangible proof of 00:21:44.250 --> 00:21:46.930 that philosophical alignment. He introduced the 00:21:46.930 --> 00:21:51.170 1990 PBS series Free to Choose, hosted by Friedman. 00:21:51.500 --> 00:21:54.160 It's a crucial historical marker. In that introduction, 00:21:54.359 --> 00:21:57.299 he powerfully championed individualism. He stated 00:21:57.299 --> 00:21:59.319 that being free to choose meant pursuing your 00:21:59.319 --> 00:22:01.819 own goals, setting your own destiny without the 00:22:01.819 --> 00:22:03.819 government breathing down on your neck. And he 00:22:03.819 --> 00:22:06.799 explicitly contrasted it with his past. He explicitly 00:22:06.799 --> 00:22:09.880 contrasted this American ideal with the socialistic 00:22:09.880 --> 00:22:11.900 country where the government controls the economy 00:22:11.900 --> 00:22:14.200 that he had escaped. But the softening of that 00:22:14.200 --> 00:22:16.759 rugged individualism, the path toward public 00:22:16.759 --> 00:22:19.140 service, was heavily influenced by the Kennedy 00:22:19.140 --> 00:22:22.160 family. The Kennedy connection is vital for understanding 00:22:22.160 --> 00:22:25.099 his path to the governorship. He married Maria 00:22:25.099 --> 00:22:28.019 Shriver, niece of JFK and daughter of Sergeant 00:22:28.019 --> 00:22:31.819 and Eunice Kennedy Shriver in 1986. And he credited 00:22:31.819 --> 00:22:34.440 them with that shift. He often credited the political 00:22:34.440 --> 00:22:36.940 legacy and public service ideals of her family, 00:22:37.099 --> 00:22:39.359 particularly her mother, Eunice, the founder 00:22:39.359 --> 00:22:42.039 of the Special Olympics, with inspiring him to 00:22:42.039 --> 00:22:44.640 think beyond his own career and into public service. 00:22:45.339 --> 00:22:47.839 They became his political heroes. He started 00:22:47.839 --> 00:22:50.500 small, appointed by George H .W. Bush to serve 00:22:50.500 --> 00:22:52.359 as chairman of the President's Council on Physical 00:22:52.359 --> 00:22:56.480 Fitness and Sports from 1990 to 1993. But the 00:22:56.480 --> 00:22:59.829 massive leap came in 2003. The recall and governorship 00:22:59.829 --> 00:23:03.089 campaign of 2003 was pure vintage Schwarzenegger 00:23:03.089 --> 00:23:05.549 shock and awe. California was suffering from 00:23:05.549 --> 00:23:08.730 an energy crisis, a budget deficit, and the recall 00:23:08.730 --> 00:23:10.890 election against Governor Gray Davis was unprecedented. 00:23:11.430 --> 00:23:13.670 And how did he announce? He announced his candidacy 00:23:13.670 --> 00:23:15.609 on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, leveraging 00:23:15.609 --> 00:23:18.829 his celebrity for immediate, massive global attention. 00:23:19.069 --> 00:23:21.930 He was instantly dubbed the governator. He was 00:23:21.930 --> 00:23:25.390 elected governor with 48 .6 % of the vote, defeating 00:23:25.390 --> 00:23:28.400 his primary Democratic opponent. Cruz Bustamante, 00:23:28.500 --> 00:23:31.200 and became only the second foreign -born governor 00:23:31.200 --> 00:23:33.119 of California, the entire political establishment 00:23:33.119 --> 00:23:35.720 was asking, what kind of Republican is this? 00:23:35.960 --> 00:23:38.920 He defined himself as a very specific political 00:23:38.920 --> 00:23:42.240 commodity, fiscally conservative and socially 00:23:42.240 --> 00:23:45.240 liberal. He was trying to occupy the center ground 00:23:45.240 --> 00:23:47.700 that historically had been successful in California 00:23:47.700 --> 00:23:50.700 politics. How did that play out? This moderation 00:23:50.700 --> 00:23:53.119 played out in policies like abortion, where he 00:23:53.119 --> 00:23:55.480 called himself pro -choice but supported parental 00:23:55.480 --> 00:23:58.619 notification for minors. And on gay rights, he 00:23:58.619 --> 00:24:00.779 was a vocal supporter and even performed a same 00:24:00.779 --> 00:24:03.259 -sex marriage ceremony during his tenure. Wait, 00:24:03.359 --> 00:24:05.799 if he was a strong supporter of gay rights, how 00:24:05.799 --> 00:24:07.920 do the sources reconcile the fact that he twice 00:24:07.920 --> 00:24:10.200 vetoed bills that would have legalized same -sex 00:24:10.200 --> 00:24:13.619 marriage in 2005 and 2007? That is the perfect 00:24:13.619 --> 00:24:16.099 question to highlight his strategic centrism. 00:24:16.180 --> 00:24:18.140 Was that pragmatism or political maneuvering? 00:24:18.440 --> 00:24:21.359 The vetoes were largely seen as political pragmatism 00:24:21.359 --> 00:24:24.660 necessary to survive in a divided state. While 00:24:24.660 --> 00:24:27.000 he personally supported the principle, he argued 00:24:27.000 --> 00:24:28.740 at the time that the measures were unnecessary 00:24:28.740 --> 00:24:31.119 because the issue was tied up in state courts. 00:24:31.359 --> 00:24:33.980 So he was trying to avoid alienating his base. 00:24:34.200 --> 00:24:36.960 He was trying to avoid alienating the fiscally 00:24:36.960 --> 00:24:39.519 conservative wing of the Republican Party, which 00:24:39.519 --> 00:24:42.400 was essential for his other agenda items like 00:24:42.400 --> 00:24:45.599 fiscal reform. That duality personal support 00:24:45.599 --> 00:24:48.400 versus political action defines his governorship. 00:24:48.579 --> 00:24:51.200 That centrist position also manifested in his 00:24:51.200 --> 00:24:54.440 rejection of the far left. He twice vetoed single 00:24:54.440 --> 00:24:57.680 -payer health care bills, once in 2006 and again 00:24:57.680 --> 00:25:00.900 in 2008. His actions were consistently fiscally 00:25:00.900 --> 00:25:03.380 conservative. Early in his tenure, he repealed 00:25:03.380 --> 00:25:05.700 an unpopular vehicle registration fee increase 00:25:05.700 --> 00:25:07.740 and blocked the issuance of driver's licenses 00:25:07.740 --> 00:25:10.960 to undocumented immigrants, securing early victories 00:25:10.960 --> 00:25:13.140 with the Republican base. The early political 00:25:13.140 --> 00:25:15.980 battles were fierce and personal. He deployed 00:25:15.980 --> 00:25:17.720 his Hollywood tactics against the legislature 00:25:17.720 --> 00:25:20.660 with the famous girly men comment. How did that 00:25:20.660 --> 00:25:22.859 tactic land with serious Sacramento lawmakers? 00:25:23.519 --> 00:25:26.279 It was pure Hollywood brawn entering the political 00:25:26.279 --> 00:25:29.400 arena, and it was certainly polarizing. He aimed 00:25:29.400 --> 00:25:31.440 the comment at Democratic opponents who were 00:25:31.440 --> 00:25:34.259 obstructing his agenda. It was a calculated use 00:25:34.259 --> 00:25:37.000 of his tough guy persona to mock the seriousness 00:25:37.000 --> 00:25:40.599 of politics. But it backfired. Well, while it 00:25:40.599 --> 00:25:43.200 delighted his base, it deepened the antagonism 00:25:43.200 --> 00:25:45.539 with the legislature, ultimately leading to a 00:25:45.539 --> 00:25:49.140 major setback. The 2005 special election. That 00:25:49.140 --> 00:25:51.119 special election was a disaster for him, wasn't 00:25:51.119 --> 00:25:53.720 it? It was a huge reality check. Four of his 00:25:53.720 --> 00:25:56.740 key sponsored ballot measures focused on budgeting, 00:25:56.940 --> 00:25:59.440 teacher tenure, political reform were soundly 00:25:59.440 --> 00:26:01.839 defeated. And he blamed the money. He blamed 00:26:01.839 --> 00:26:04.000 the failure on the massive fundraising effort 00:26:04.000 --> 00:26:07.180 of the opposition, stating that. No one could 00:26:07.180 --> 00:26:10.920 win if the opposition raised $160 million. That 00:26:10.920 --> 00:26:13.539 massive campaign funding by public employee unions 00:26:13.539 --> 00:26:15.960 to defeat him was later scrutinized and partly 00:26:15.960 --> 00:26:18.839 ruled as involving illegal compulsory fundraising. 00:26:19.180 --> 00:26:21.819 Despite that hurdle, he was reelected in 2006 00:26:21.819 --> 00:26:24.619 with a solid majority, and he began pivoting 00:26:24.619 --> 00:26:26.680 toward a legacy that would distinguish him nationally. 00:26:27.160 --> 00:26:29.960 He realized he needed to shed the pure partisan 00:26:29.960 --> 00:26:34.180 image and focus on big, lasting issues. He appointed 00:26:34.180 --> 00:26:36.599 Democrat Susan Kennedy as his chief of staff. 00:26:36.920 --> 00:26:40.019 This shift was most apparent in his pioneering 00:26:40.019 --> 00:26:42.720 environmental leadership. His environmental record 00:26:42.720 --> 00:26:45.779 is arguably his most globally influential achievement 00:26:45.779 --> 00:26:48.480 in office. What did the Global Warming Solutions 00:26:48.480 --> 00:26:51.769 Act of 2006 actually accomplish? It was groundbreaking. 00:26:52.089 --> 00:26:54.190 The Global Warming Solutions Act was the nation's 00:26:54.190 --> 00:26:56.849 first mandatory comprehensive greenhouse gas 00:26:56.849 --> 00:26:59.849 emissions cap. It aimed for a 25 percent reduction 00:26:59.849 --> 00:27:02.990 by 2020. This was a radical step for a U .S. 00:27:02.990 --> 00:27:05.430 state. It positioned California as a global leader 00:27:05.430 --> 00:27:08.109 on climate policy. It did. And this commitment 00:27:08.109 --> 00:27:10.289 earned him significant international recognition, 00:27:10.630 --> 00:27:12.769 including the European Voice Campaigner of the 00:27:12.769 --> 00:27:15.630 Year Award in 2007. And his political commitment 00:27:15.630 --> 00:27:17.990 was reinforced by his personal visible actions. 00:27:18.250 --> 00:27:20.410 He made a massive public show of his personal 00:27:20.460 --> 00:27:22.519 green commitments, which helped reinforce the 00:27:22.519 --> 00:27:24.980 credibility of the policy. He converted one of 00:27:24.980 --> 00:27:27.640 his infamously large Hummers to run on hydrogen, 00:27:27.799 --> 00:27:30.039 the ultimate brand evolution, and another on 00:27:30.039 --> 00:27:32.720 bitofuel, installed solar panels on his home, 00:27:32.779 --> 00:27:34.640 and championed the development of the California 00:27:34.640 --> 00:27:37.700 Hydrogen Highway Network. It's the man who essentially 00:27:37.700 --> 00:27:40.400 invented the civilian H1, now converting it to 00:27:40.400 --> 00:27:43.500 hydrogen. That transformation itself is a key 00:27:43.500 --> 00:27:45.880 takeaway for how he continually reinvents his 00:27:45.880 --> 00:27:48.319 image. But even as he was preparing to leave 00:27:48.319 --> 00:27:51.200 office, The sheer force of his political connections 00:27:51.200 --> 00:27:53.680 led to one of the most controversial decisions 00:27:53.680 --> 00:27:56.880 of his tenure, the commutation scandal involving 00:27:56.880 --> 00:27:59.700 Esteban Nunez. This is critical to understanding 00:27:59.700 --> 00:28:02.680 the ethical complexity of his power. Esteban 00:28:02.680 --> 00:28:05.099 Nunez, the son of his powerful political friend, 00:28:05.259 --> 00:28:08.599 former Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, was sentenced 00:28:08.599 --> 00:28:11.319 to 16 years for voluntary manslaughter in the 00:28:11.319 --> 00:28:14.440 2008 death of Luis Santos. and Schwarzenegger 00:28:14.440 --> 00:28:16.819 commuted the sentence. Hours before leaving office, 00:28:17.039 --> 00:28:19.579 he used his executive discretion to commute that 00:28:19.579 --> 00:28:22.000 sentence by more than half, down to seven years. 00:28:22.279 --> 00:28:24.180 He claimed the original sentence was excessive, 00:28:24.400 --> 00:28:27.400 but the method of execution was what caused the 00:28:27.400 --> 00:28:29.759 tremendous political and emotional fallout. He 00:28:29.759 --> 00:28:33.039 acted with zero transparency. The commutation 00:28:33.039 --> 00:28:35.980 was performed without following protocol, specifically 00:28:35.980 --> 00:28:38.720 without informing the victim's family, the Santa's 00:28:38.720 --> 00:28:41.119 family, or the San Diego County prosecutors. 00:28:41.579 --> 00:28:44.259 They learned about it from a reporter. Yes. The 00:28:44.259 --> 00:28:46.720 pain and sense of betrayal for the victim's parents 00:28:46.720 --> 00:28:50.019 were profound. And the judicial response reflected 00:28:50.019 --> 00:28:52.640 that moral repugnance. The Santa's family sued. 00:28:52.839 --> 00:28:55.799 A Sacramento County Superior Court judge ultimately 00:28:55.799 --> 00:28:58.829 ruled that while the act itself The commutation 00:28:58.829 --> 00:29:00.970 was legal under the governor's broad powers. 00:29:01.150 --> 00:29:04.269 The way it was carried out was distasteful and 00:29:04.269 --> 00:29:07.170 repugnant to the bulk of the citizenry. And it 00:29:07.170 --> 00:29:10.130 had legislative consequences. It led to new laws 00:29:10.130 --> 00:29:12.970 in California requiring victim notification prior 00:29:12.970 --> 00:29:15.710 to any such executive commutation. It was a raw 00:29:15.710 --> 00:29:17.990 example of political patronage overriding justice 00:29:17.990 --> 00:29:20.390 protocol. Following his departure from office, 00:29:20.609 --> 00:29:23.109 Schwarzenegger's political voice hasn't diminished. 00:29:23.369 --> 00:29:25.769 It's simply focused internationally on climate 00:29:25.769 --> 00:29:28.450 issues and domestically on confronting the populist 00:29:28.450 --> 00:29:31.089 right. He quickly launched our 20 regions of 00:29:31.089 --> 00:29:33.529 climate action and the annual Austrian World 00:29:33.529 --> 00:29:36.730 Summit in Vienna, establishing himself as a global 00:29:36.730 --> 00:29:40.309 nonpartisan climate advocate. Domestically, he 00:29:40.309 --> 00:29:42.609 became one of the most prominent Republican critics 00:29:42.609 --> 00:29:45.410 of the rising populist movement, issuing strong 00:29:45.410 --> 00:29:47.990 public condemnations of Donald Trump. He used 00:29:47.990 --> 00:29:51.089 particularly powerful historical language in 00:29:51.089 --> 00:29:53.549 his criticism of the January 6th Capitol attack. 00:29:53.750 --> 00:29:56.710 He did. Given his family history, he likened 00:29:56.710 --> 00:29:59.289 the January 6th attack to Kristallnacht, calling 00:29:59.289 --> 00:30:01.869 it a deliberate act to break the country. He 00:30:01.869 --> 00:30:04.450 is not held back, explicitly calling Trump the 00:30:04.450 --> 00:30:06.869 worst president ever. And he finally broke with 00:30:06.869 --> 00:30:08.920 the party. Marking his final political break 00:30:08.920 --> 00:30:11.240 with the modern GOP, he endorsed Kamala Harris 00:30:11.240 --> 00:30:13.859 in 2024, the first time since becoming a citizen 00:30:13.859 --> 00:30:16.220 in 1983 that he did not vote for the Republican 00:30:16.220 --> 00:30:18.920 nominee. He is now using his political platform 00:30:18.920 --> 00:30:21.539 entirely for causes, climate and democracy that 00:30:21.539 --> 00:30:24.539 transcend party lines. It's a complete repositioning 00:30:24.539 --> 00:30:27.539 of his political brand, leveraging his past credibility 00:30:27.539 --> 00:30:31.019 to address the present moment. We've seen the 00:30:31.019 --> 00:30:33.380 ambition that built a body and built a political 00:30:33.380 --> 00:30:36.619 office. Now let's look at the financial engine 00:30:36.619 --> 00:30:39.180 and the intimate hidden cost of that decades 00:30:39.180 --> 00:30:41.759 -long ambition. That leads us directly to part 00:30:41.759 --> 00:30:44.819 four, personal realities, wealth, and enduring 00:30:44.819 --> 00:30:48.299 legacy. What often gets lost is that Schwarzenegger 00:30:48.299 --> 00:30:50.880 was a tremendous business mind before he was 00:30:50.880 --> 00:30:53.539 a movie star. His business acumen and financial 00:30:53.539 --> 00:30:56.180 empire are often overshadowed by the action persona. 00:30:56.599 --> 00:30:59.140 But he was a self -made millionaire by age 25, 00:30:59.299 --> 00:31:02.200 well before Conan or The Terminator. His discipline 00:31:02.200 --> 00:31:04.220 applied to money just as it applied to muscle. 00:31:04.720 --> 00:31:07.519 He started small in 1968, starting a bricklaying 00:31:07.519 --> 00:31:09.839 business with fellow bodybuilder Franco Colombo. 00:31:09.980 --> 00:31:11.940 And they were savvy about it. They leveraged 00:31:11.940 --> 00:31:14.559 the increased demand after the 1971 San Fernando 00:31:14.559 --> 00:31:16.740 earthquake to make it profitable, immediately 00:31:16.740 --> 00:31:19.740 rolling all profits into investments. They quickly 00:31:19.740 --> 00:31:21.839 expanded into a mail -order fitness business, 00:31:22.019 --> 00:31:24.420 selling equipment and instructional tapes. He 00:31:24.420 --> 00:31:26.500 wasn't spending his money. He was relentlessly 00:31:26.500 --> 00:31:29.039 growing it. He treated his financial life like 00:31:29.039 --> 00:31:31.480 compound interest on steroids. That's a perfect 00:31:31.480 --> 00:31:34.039 way to put it. Real estate was his true financial 00:31:34.039 --> 00:31:36.319 muscle builder. He purchased his first apartment 00:31:36.319 --> 00:31:39.380 building for just $10 ,000 and aggressively expanded, 00:31:39.740 --> 00:31:42.519 eventually making millions by diversifying his 00:31:42.519 --> 00:31:45.099 real estate holdings both in the U .S. and internationally. 00:31:45.460 --> 00:31:47.740 He also dabbles in celebrity enterprises like 00:31:47.740 --> 00:31:50.440 Planet Hollywood. Yes, alongside Stallone and 00:31:50.440 --> 00:31:53.500 Willis. However, his decision to exit Planet 00:31:53.500 --> 00:31:56.440 Hollywood in 2000 is telling of his focused business 00:31:56.440 --> 00:32:00.039 strategy. He wasn't sentimental. No. He decided 00:32:00.039 --> 00:32:02.460 to sever ties because the restaurant wasn't achieving 00:32:02.460 --> 00:32:05.000 the success he hoped for, stating he needed to 00:32:05.000 --> 00:32:08.019 focus on new U .S. global business ventures. 00:32:08.039 --> 00:32:10.880 He is relentless about cutting losses and moving 00:32:10.880 --> 00:32:13.339 on to higher yield opportunities. Today, his 00:32:13.339 --> 00:32:15.940 estimated net worth, according to 2024 Forbes 00:32:15.940 --> 00:32:17.980 estimates, makes him an estimated billionaire. 00:32:18.480 --> 00:32:22.559 And he famously declined his $175 ,000 governor's 00:32:22.559 --> 00:32:25.000 salary, underscoring his financial independence 00:32:25.000 --> 00:32:28.039 from public service. That financial power gave 00:32:28.039 --> 00:32:30.319 him political freedom. And that independence 00:32:30.319 --> 00:32:33.200 is reflected in his unusual passions, specifically 00:32:33.200 --> 00:32:36.000 his obsession with large vehicles. Oh, yes. Tell 00:32:36.000 --> 00:32:38.079 us about the tank and the Hummer. His passion 00:32:38.079 --> 00:32:40.400 for heavy military equipment stems from seeing 00:32:40.400 --> 00:32:43.059 Allied occupation forces in Austria during his 00:32:43.059 --> 00:32:47.420 youth. He paid $20 ,000 to import his old Austrian 00:32:47.420 --> 00:32:51.039 Army M -47 Patton tank, which he now famously 00:32:51.039 --> 00:32:53.539 uses for charity events, teaching kids about 00:32:53.539 --> 00:32:56.539 fitness. But more significant commercially, he 00:32:56.539 --> 00:32:59.180 was the driving force behind the civilian Humvee. 00:32:59.240 --> 00:33:01.700 He lobbied AM General to create the street legal 00:33:01.700 --> 00:33:04.200 version, the Hummer H1. He saw the potential 00:33:04.200 --> 00:33:06.680 and forced the product into existence, becoming 00:33:06.680 --> 00:33:09.220 the first civilian owner in the U .S. in 1992. 00:33:09.680 --> 00:33:12.539 It's a perfect metaphor for his career. If the 00:33:12.539 --> 00:33:15.160 job, the role, or the vehicle he wants doesn't 00:33:15.160 --> 00:33:17.799 exist, he will use his will and influence to 00:33:17.799 --> 00:33:20.319 literally manifest it. Now let's move to his 00:33:20.319 --> 00:33:23.329 family and personal reckoning. The intense ambition 00:33:23.329 --> 00:33:25.930 required to manage three careers clearly came 00:33:25.930 --> 00:33:28.710 at a significant personal cost. It did. His early 00:33:28.710 --> 00:33:30.990 relationships were often defined by his singular 00:33:30.990 --> 00:33:33.509 focus. His five -year relationship with Barbara 00:33:33.509 --> 00:33:36.069 Outland Baker, an English teacher, ended largely 00:33:36.069 --> 00:33:38.549 because she wanted an ordinary, solid life, which 00:33:38.549 --> 00:33:40.990 he admitted he hated. He needed a partner who 00:33:40.990 --> 00:33:43.329 could handle the extraordinary path. After an 00:33:43.329 --> 00:33:46.029 open relationship with Sue Murray, he met Maria 00:33:46.029 --> 00:33:49.730 Shriver in 1977. Their marriage, a political 00:33:49.730 --> 00:33:52.730 and social powerhouse, lasted 25 years before 00:33:52.730 --> 00:33:55.450 their separation in 2011, and the divorce was 00:33:55.450 --> 00:33:58.750 finalized in 2021. The separation was triggered 00:33:58.750 --> 00:34:02.170 by a profound, heartbreaking betrayal. The ultimate 00:34:02.170 --> 00:34:04.410 reckoning came with the revelation that he had 00:34:04.410 --> 00:34:07.490 fathered a son, Joseph Bina, with their longtime 00:34:07.490 --> 00:34:11.329 household employee, Mildred Patricia Bina. The 00:34:11.329 --> 00:34:13.670 timeline of this affair caused immense pain. 00:34:13.929 --> 00:34:16.489 The sources show the two boys, Josephine and 00:34:16.489 --> 00:34:18.550 his youngest son, with Maria Shriver, Christopher, 00:34:18.809 --> 00:34:21.329 were born only five days apart. That's correct. 00:34:21.550 --> 00:34:23.489 Arnold stated that he didn't piece the truth 00:34:23.489 --> 00:34:25.469 together until the child was seven or eight years 00:34:25.469 --> 00:34:28.210 old and began looking like him. And Maria eventually 00:34:28.210 --> 00:34:30.929 confronted him. After confirming her own suspicions, 00:34:30.949 --> 00:34:33.489 it was a massive personal failure for a man whose 00:34:33.489 --> 00:34:35.710 public life was built on strength and control. 00:34:35.909 --> 00:34:38.670 He has since owned that failure publicly. He 00:34:38.670 --> 00:34:41.590 has. When reflecting on his life in 2014, he 00:34:41.590 --> 00:34:44.769 stated clearly that he is least proud of the 00:34:44.769 --> 00:34:46.909 mistakes he made that caused his family pain 00:34:46.909 --> 00:34:50.449 and split us up. He took full financial responsibility 00:34:50.449 --> 00:34:52.929 for Joseph Baena and his mother, establishing 00:34:52.929 --> 00:34:55.590 them in a separate home in Bakersfield. It's 00:34:55.590 --> 00:34:58.530 an unavoidable, complex part of his legacy. Finally, 00:34:58.570 --> 00:35:00.449 let's wrap up by looking at his current focus, 00:35:00.630 --> 00:35:03.329 which circles back to his original mission of 00:35:03.329 --> 00:35:06.349 optimizing the body, health, and public image. 00:35:06.590 --> 00:35:09.079 Health has become paramount. Largely due to a 00:35:09.079 --> 00:35:12.360 lifelong congenital condition, a bicuspid aortic 00:35:12.360 --> 00:35:14.920 valve. Meaning the valve has two leaflets instead 00:35:14.920 --> 00:35:17.000 of the usual three. Right, and this requires 00:35:17.000 --> 00:35:19.400 constant monitoring and surgical intervention. 00:35:19.780 --> 00:35:22.039 He has endured three major heart surgeries over 00:35:22.039 --> 00:35:23.980 the years. The first was an elective replacement 00:35:23.980 --> 00:35:27.280 in 1997, but the sources highlight the difficulty 00:35:27.280 --> 00:35:30.599 of the 2018 emergency open heart surgery, followed 00:35:30.599 --> 00:35:33.960 by a third aortic valve surgery in 2020. The 00:35:33.960 --> 00:35:37.139 2018 recovery was particularly difficult. For 00:35:37.139 --> 00:35:39.280 a man who defined himself by physical control, 00:35:39.539 --> 00:35:41.980 the sudden vulnerability must have been crippling. 00:35:42.269 --> 00:35:44.670 He was seriously challenged admitting he had 00:35:44.670 --> 00:35:47.510 to use a walker and felt frustrated and angry 00:35:47.510 --> 00:35:49.510 because he couldn't immediately see the path 00:35:49.510 --> 00:35:53.090 back to his old physical self. But in true Schwarzenegger 00:35:53.090 --> 00:35:55.630 fashion, he applied his visualization and goal 00:35:55.630 --> 00:35:58.590 setting rules to his recovery, attacking rehabilitation 00:35:58.590 --> 00:36:01.150 with the same intensity he used to train for 00:36:01.150 --> 00:36:03.869 Mr. Olympia. And that health focus has also led 00:36:03.869 --> 00:36:06.929 to a massive dietary shift, tying his personal 00:36:06.929 --> 00:36:10.239 life back to his environmental advocacy. The 00:36:10.239 --> 00:36:12.800 influence of director James Cameron, a prominent 00:36:12.800 --> 00:36:15.460 environmentalist, has been noted here. For the 00:36:15.460 --> 00:36:17.980 past five years, Arnold has committed to an approximate 00:36:17.980 --> 00:36:21.579 80 % plant -based diet, citing both the documented 00:36:21.579 --> 00:36:24.179 health benefits related to heart disease and 00:36:24.179 --> 00:36:26.500 the environmental benefits of reducing meat consumption. 00:36:26.860 --> 00:36:29.119 This holistic approach, physical, political, 00:36:29.340 --> 00:36:31.900 financial, is the theme of his latest philosophical 00:36:31.900 --> 00:36:35.920 output. Exactly. His 2023 book, Be Useful. Seven 00:36:35.920 --> 00:36:38.059 Tools for Life is the definitive distillation 00:36:38.059 --> 00:36:40.719 of everything we've discussed today. It dispenses 00:36:40.719 --> 00:36:43.940 life advice based on his core philosophy, relentless 00:36:43.940 --> 00:36:46.539 goal setting, visualization, and treating life 00:36:46.539 --> 00:36:50.039 as a high volume, continuous workout. So we have 00:36:50.039 --> 00:36:52.280 tracked the transformation of Arnold Schwarzenegger 00:36:52.280 --> 00:36:55.280 from the Austrian oak, fleeing poverty and conformity 00:36:55.280 --> 00:36:58.039 to the governator, a global voice on climate 00:36:58.039 --> 00:37:01.239 who literally defined the path to success in 00:37:01.239 --> 00:37:04.860 three separate, often contradictory fields. His 00:37:04.860 --> 00:37:07.539 life is the ultimate case study in extreme goal 00:37:07.539 --> 00:37:10.670 setting and self invention. Our sources reveal 00:37:10.670 --> 00:37:13.429 a figure whose ambition drove him to incredible 00:37:13.429 --> 00:37:15.670 decisions, from the competitive ruthlessness 00:37:15.670 --> 00:37:18.969 and steroid controversies of the 70s to the controversial 00:37:18.969 --> 00:37:22.610 political commutation and the profound pain caused 00:37:22.610 --> 00:37:26.329 by family betrayal. Yet. Yet. Those same extreme 00:37:26.329 --> 00:37:29.230 drives led to historic, groundbreaking achievements, 00:37:29.349 --> 00:37:31.989 whether dominating bodybuilding, pioneering blockbuster 00:37:31.989 --> 00:37:34.730 action, or signing the nation's first comprehensive 00:37:34.730 --> 00:37:37.650 cap on greenhouse gas emissions. It's the quintessential 00:37:37.650 --> 00:37:40.190 American success story built by an Austrian rebel 00:37:40.190 --> 00:37:43.010 who refused to conform to any set limits. And 00:37:43.010 --> 00:37:45.289 that raises a powerful final question about the 00:37:45.289 --> 00:37:47.809 nature of American possibility. We've discussed 00:37:47.809 --> 00:37:49.670 how Arnold achieved political office despite 00:37:49.670 --> 00:37:51.929 the constitutional limits on presidential ambition 00:37:51.929 --> 00:37:55.050 because he is not a natural -born citizen. And 00:37:55.050 --> 00:37:57.289 that's the lingering thought we leave you with, 00:37:57.469 --> 00:38:01.130 The Learner, today. Considering his dual Austrian 00:38:01.130 --> 00:38:03.889 -American citizenship and unique political trajectory, 00:38:04.329 --> 00:38:07.010 if the U .S. Constitution were amended to allow 00:38:07.010 --> 00:38:09.570 a foreign -born citizen of his stature to run, 00:38:09.809 --> 00:38:12.389 how would the disciplined bodybuilder's ultimate 00:38:12.389 --> 00:38:14.929 vision for the nation compare to the moderate, 00:38:15.070 --> 00:38:17.429 environmentally focused vision he implemented 00:38:17.429 --> 00:38:19.989 for California? And what would that tell us about 00:38:19.989 --> 00:38:22.429 the ultimate limits, or lack thereof, of the 00:38:22.429 --> 00:38:25.750 American dream he so successfully embodied? Something 00:38:25.750 --> 00:38:28.070 profound to mull over until our next deep dive.