“I Hate to Play Myself”: Arnold Schwarzenegger Gave a Snarky Reason for Not Picking the Role of Superman in a 1979 Interview

Published 10/16/2022, 9:30 AM EDT

The renowned bodybuilder, Arnold Schwarzenegger, is well-known for his love of performing stunts in movies like Terminator. Schwarzenegger put a lot of work into ensuring these heart-pounding moments get conveyed honestly. And these small reasons combine together to make his name on the list of the most well-known actors. He is renowned for his sarcastic nature and his preference for action movies.

In several interviews, Arnie’s humorous personality captured everyone’s attention during the conversations. Following this, once the Austrian Oak made a sarcastic remark about rejecting the Superman movie.

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Superman, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s humor

This description of Superman’s movie completely fits some prominent actors like Christopher Reeve, Brandon Routh, and Henry Cavill in the past. Then also, the directors needed a powerful personality to slay the role of the biggest comic superhero. Following this, some names stood counted for the portrayal of the character.

Interestingly, the list included the name, Arnold Schwarzenegger. In 1979, Arnie sat in an interview with Brian Linehan’s city light show. During the interview, Brian asked why he disapproved of Superman’s role. Arnie stated something funny without mentioning the real reason behind his rejection.

In reply, Arnie sarcastically stated, “I don’t think I would have said yes because I hate to play myself, you know, and I am Superman. And said if I didn’t want to play, but I was, I was very happy that they dedicated the film to my life story and made a film out of that.”

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Why Arnold faced turndown in the movie Superhero?

The casting couch gave Schwarzenegger’s name on the list the highest priority. However, the casting member who disapproved was none other than Marlon Brando, who portrayed Jor-El, the father of Superman. As per Brando’s contract, he had the right to pick and reject anyone for the main roles in the movie. In addition, he voted against Schwarzenegger because he believed that the general audience wouldn’t be able to understand what he was saying.

Despite seeing Arnold’s astounding muscles and ultimate bodybuilding world status, Brando’s rejection was beyond belief. The main reason behind Marlon’s disapproval was non-other than the actor Christopher Reeve, who captured everyone’s attention during his screen test. And at last, the movie started its production with Reeve and collected $300.5 million worldwide.

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Written by:

Ishani Yadav is a US Sports author for EssentiallySports. She is currently pursuing her Bachelor's degree in Journalism from the University of Delhi. Ishani spent her childhood playing baseball and badminton, which led to her passion for sports.

Edited by:

Pritam Priyedarshi

“I Hate to Play Myself”: Arnold Schwarzenegger Gave a Snarky Reason for Not Picking the Role of Superman in a 1979 Interview

Superman, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s humor

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Why Arnold faced turndown in the movie Superhero?