Arnold Schwarzenegger Reveals He Once Hired An ‘Accent-Removal Coach’
We all have good days at work and bad days at work. Sometimes, we have days when we question whether we’re even suited for the job we have and if we’ve chosen the right career path. This is probably why the average American makes 3 to 7 career changes during their lifetime. Arnold Schwarzenegger has a funny story about someone who probably should have gone into another line of work.
According to Variety, Arnold Schwarzenegger admitted on The Graham Norton Show in the UK that he once hired a person to help do away with his thick Austrian accent. The bodybuilder-turned-action star had been told early in his career that his accent would be a hindrance to success as a leading man in Hollywood. So Arnold employed the services of a so-called “accent-removal coach.”
As Schwarzenegger explained to Graham Norton, “I had an English coach and an acting coach and a speech coach and an accent-removal coach, who has passed away since then, but I should have otherwise gotten my money back.” That’s true. The accent never left Arnold, but he showed the world that it didn’t matter.
Rather than cost him jobs, Arnold’s Austrian accent proved to be his most defining trait. Well, that and his “Mr. Universe” physique. His accent didn’t even stop him from becoming the governor of California. If the eligibility laws were different, I think Schwarzenegger could make a competitive run for the U.S. presidency. You can watch the interview clip below.
By the way, if you haven’t seen the documentary Arnold on Netflix, I highly recommend it. The three-part series covers every phase of Schwarzenegger’s fascinating and inspiring life, from his beginnings in Europe to present day. And Arnold, himself, doesn’t sugar coat any of the negative bits of his well-documented personal history either.