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Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Parents Thought He Was Gay Due to 'Naked Men' Posters

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Parents Thought He Was Gay Due to 'Naked Men' Posters

Arnold Schwarzenegger

The actor and former California governor said he had his sexuality questioned as a teenager.

Arnold Schwarzenegger has revealed that his parents became concerned about his sexuality when he began hanging posters of male bodybuilders in his bedroom as a teenager.

In a new Netflix documentary on the action star titled Arnold, Schwarzenegger shared that his mother "got freaked out" by the posters and became worried that he was not interested in women.

"She said, 'All his friends have girls above their bed. My son doesn’t have one girl up here. Look at that. It’s only naked men, oiled-up. Where did we go wrong?’" he recalled, laughing.

Schwarzenegger, who began his career as a bodybuilder, hung photos of famed fitness stars like Reg Park in his room to inspire and motivate himself.

"I was so amazed by this [Park's] body, I just could not get it out of my mind," he said. A three-time Mr. Universe winner, Park also starred in a series of Hercules films in the '60s, which is where Schwarzenegger discovered him.

He said Park became his "idol" and "the blueprint in where I wanted to go in life."

The former California governor also recalled that his father did not support his passion for weightlifting.

"My dad was like, 'You are looking in the mirror when you train, what is that all about? You are too into yourself...if you want to use your muscles, go chop wood,'" he said.

Schwarzenegger would go on to win the Mr. Universe bodybuilding title at age 20, along with seven Mr. Olympia titles throughout his career.

He is currently starring in the queer-inclusive FUBAR on Netflix — his first appearance in a TV series. Arnold is now available for streaming on the same platform.

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