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Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Arnold’ On Netflix, A Docuseries Where Arnold Schwarzenegger Examines His Life

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• Arnold Schwarzenegger

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In the three-part docuseries Arnold , Arnold Schwarzenegger examines his eventful, varied and high-achieving life. The hour-long episodes are roughly split among the three major phases of his adult life and career: “Athlete” is about his childhood and his time as a champion bodybuilder; “Actor” is about his decades-long career as an A-list action and comedy star; and “American” examines his political career, including his 2003-2011 tenure as governor of California.

ARNOLD : STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: A steamy shot of Arnold Schwarzenegger in an outdoor Jacuzzi, holding a cigar in his dripping-wet fingers.

The Gist: In the first episode, Arnold talks about his childhood in Thal, Austria, discussing the tough childhood he and his brother had under his father, who was a former police chief and joined the Nazi party during World War II. His father Gustav used to have Arnold compete with his older brother Meinhard for everything, often beat his kids — which Arnold ascribed to postwar PTSD — and told his sons “Whatever you do, be useful.” Once he got into his teens, Arnold learned about the world outside of Austria and felt that he belonged somewhere else — eventually, he realized that somewhere else was the United States.

He connected with weight training in the city with Graz, and after seeing Reg Park in a Hercules movie and on the cover of a muscle magazine, Arnold found that bodybuilding would be his ticket to America. After spending his teenage years in Austria and Germany training, entering contests and either winning or placing well, he did his obligatory service in the Austrian military, going AWOL to enter a contest. He eventually made his way to London, where he found that the bodybuilders there worked their lower bodies more than he saw in Austria.

In 1967, he gets a telegram from bodybuilding legend Joe Weider, inviting him to train with him in his Miami gym. Arnold didn’t even go back to Austria; he moved to Miami and never looked back, entering Mr. Universe contests in the U.S. and eventually a new contest created by Weider, Mr. Olympia, pitting Mr. Universe winners against each other.

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? The most recent example of a biographical documentary like Arnold , one that basically was narrated by the subject, was Michael J. Fox’s film Still .

Our Take: One of the things we learned while watching Arnold is that Arnold Schwarzenegger is not a person that wallows in self-reflection much. His recounting of his life is very businesslike, generally hitting the highlights and the good points and not dwelling too deeply on the negative parts.

Yes, the series is making headlines with Arnold’s discussions about the affair that eventually ended his marriage to Maria Shriver, and he responds to accusations of sexual assault that had been leveled at him over the years. But, judging by the first episode, it doesn’t seem like he’s going to be doing much in the way of reflection or offering mea culpas. It’ll more than likely be a situation where he’s matter-of-fact about what happened but not necessarily admit to anything or take any blame.

It’s the hazard of having Arnold mostly be the one telling his story — there are also interviews with some fellow bodybuilders, childhood friends, and his first serious girlfriend in the first episode. But it’s not a fatal flaw. Arnold’s matter-of-factness is very helpful during many parts of his story, as he’s clear-eyed in his telling of it.

The first part of Arnold’s life, especially his adult life, didn’t have a ton of major setbacks, so perhaps we’ll see a bit more of that as we examine his Hollywood and political careers. But, there were only some brief moments (see below) where Arnold’s all-business manner made us roll our eyes.

Sex and Skin: Lots of scenes of oiled up men, especially when scenes from the classic documentary about Arnold, Pumping Iron , are shown.

Parting Shot: Setting up the next episode, James Cameron recounts a conversation where Arnold tells him that “I don’t want to be an actor, I want to be a star.”

Sleeper Star: It was interesting to get the perspective of Barbara Baker, Arnold’s first girlfriend, who met the bodybuilder shortly after he came to the U.S. at 20, not knowing much English.

Most Pilot-y Line: When talking about the death of his older brother Mienhard, who died in a drunk-driving accident in 1971, he called his brother “fragile” more than once. He says, “When you’re a person who always has a goal, who always has a mission, the less time you have to think, ‘How do I feel today? Am I depressed today? Do I feel sorry for myself? Have I become a victim? Oh my god, I feel so bad about myself.’ I don’t have time for this crap. A lot of times, it’s people who don’t work enough. When you’re busy all the time, you don’t have time to think about this stuff.”

One might argue, though, that Arnold keeps himself busy so he doesn’t have to think about this stuff, even though thinking about it and addressing it is a healthy thing to do.

Our Call: STREAM IT. Despite the fact that Schwarzenegger isn’t exactly the most introspective person in the world, Arnold is still a fascinating portrait of a person who has was determined to be a success in the United States and has achieved in mostly every field he entered.

Joel Keller ( @joelkeller ) writes about food, entertainment, parenting and tech, but he doesn’t kid himself: he’s a TV junkie. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Salon, RollingStone.com , VanityFair.com , Fast Company and elsewhere.

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Limited Series – Arnold

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Watch Arnold — Limited Series with a subscription on Netflix.

What to Know

If Arnold is too acquiescing to fully grapple with Schwarzenegger's complex legacy, the basic facts of his life are fascinating enough to make for a thoroughly entertaining documentary.

Critics Reviews

Audience reviews, cast & crew.

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Allen Hughes

Executive Producer

Lesley Chilcott

Peter Nelson

Paul Wachter

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Season info.

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Follows the life of Arnold Schwarzenegger, from his days of lifting weights to his successes in Hollywood, his time serving as governor of California, and both the joys and volatility of his... Read all Follows the life of Arnold Schwarzenegger, from his days of lifting weights to his successes in Hollywood, his time serving as governor of California, and both the joys and volatility of his family life. Follows the life of Arnold Schwarzenegger, from his days of lifting weights to his successes in Hollywood, his time serving as governor of California, and both the joys and volatility of his family life.

• Arnold Schwarzenegger
• James Cameron
• Sylvester Stallone
• 88 User reviews
• 25 Critic reviews
• 1 nomination

• Self - Filmmaker …

• Self - Actor, Writer, Director

• Self - Bodybuilder …

• Self - Actor

• Self - Chief of Staff 2005-2011

• Self - Author

• Self - Childhood Friend

• Self - Acting Teacher

• Reg Park's Son …

• Mr. Olympia 1977, 1978, 1979 …

• Self - Bodybuilder
• Self - Author, Arnold and Me

• Self - Television Host

• Self - Writer, Director
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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• Connections Referenced in TV Junk Podcast: Episode 21: Arnold (2023)

User reviews 88

• lovemichaeljordan
• Jun 7, 2023

The Amazing Arnold

• How many seasons does Arnold have? Powered by Alexa
• June 7, 2023 (United States)
• United States
• Official Netflix
• Santa Clarita, California, USA
• A Defiant Ones Media Group Production
• Invented by Girls
• See more company credits at IMDbPro

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• Runtime 1 hour
• Black and White
• Dolby Digital

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‘Arnold’ doc tells Schwarzenegger’s amazing story in three acts

Netflix series profiles the confident immigrant who never doubted he could succeed, and did so in sports, entertainment and politics..

Arnold Schwarzenegger works out at age 75 in a scene from the documentary “Arnold.”

It stands to reason that “Arnold,” the Netflix documentary series about the life and times of Arnold Schwarzenegger, would be in three parts, given Arnold has reached extraordinary heights in three very different careers: bodybuilder and power-lifter who elevated his sport to new levels; globally popular movie star who headlined some of the biggest action blockbusters of the 20th century, and politician who became governor of the largest state in the Union.

That a kid who grew up in post-World War II Austria in unremarkable circumstances would achieve any of the above would be remarkable in and of itself; the full trilogy of accomplishments is almost beyond fairy tale. Who would have believed it?

Other than Arnold himself, of course. As Schwarzenegger tells us time and again in this subject-friendly documentary from the terrific Lesley Chilcott (“An Inconvenient Truth”), he’s always had a plan, has always been moving forward and thinking about the next big thing, ever since he was a kid who dreamt of leaving Austria and grabbing the Great American Dream with both huge hands. He’s like a charming, stogie-smoking shark who doesn’t spend a whole lot of time on self-reflection or regrets or second thoughts. He came, he saw, he conquered, and even now, at 75, he’s not about to slow down.

“Arnold” features interstitial, present-day scenes filmed at Schwarzenegger’s property in Sun Valley, Idaho, which he shares with his viral sensation companions Lulu the Donkey and Whiskey the Miniature Horse, but otherwise follows a mostly linear timeline. Episode 1, titled “Athlete,” chronicles Schwarzenegger’s upbringing in the gorgeous countryside in Thal, Austria, where he and his older brother Meinhard lived in constant fear of their father, whom Arnold says had PTSD after World War II and was a heavy drinker and a “tyrant” who often physically abused them. (In a later episode, Arnold notes sadly that Meinhard, who died in an accident while driving drunk in 1971 at the age of 24, wasn’t emotionally equipped to deal with the trauma).

After seeing “Hercules and the Captive Women,” starring the English bodybuilder and actor Reg Park, the teenage Schwarzenegger dedicated himself to the sport of bodybuilding, winning Mister Universe at the age of 20, followed by a host of international titles. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Arnold was a fixture in Venice Beach, California, working out at Gold’s Gym, forging partnerships, creating a persona. In addition to reaching the top of the mountain as Mr. Olympia, “champion of champions,” he was soon selling products, training tips and merch and soon was appearing on TV shows such as “The Dating Game” and “The Streets of San Francisco,” before breaking out in Bob Rafelson’s “Stay Hungry” and the seminal documentary “Pumping Iron.”

Episode 2, titled “Actor,” chronicles Schwarzenegger’s incredible rise to movie superstardom. Already a millionaire due to savvy real estate investments, Arnold was still considered to be an oversized human punch line as an actor until he struck box office gold as the title character in “Conan the Barbarian” in 1982. Says present-day Arnold: “I’d proven to the naysayers that a foreigner with an accent and with a 240-pound body can actually become a leading man and have the sales worldwide. So f--- ‘em all.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger returns to his breakout role in “Conan the Destroyer,” the 1984 sequel to “Conan the Barbarian.”

Universal City Studios

Director Chilcott makes great use of archival footage (and drops in just a few brief re-creations) of Schwarzenegger’s game-changing ascendancy to the top of the box office. “The Terminator” director James Cameron recounts how he wasn’t sure if he would cast O.J. Simpson or Schwarzenegger for the title role until he had lunch with Arnold and saw he had the perfect face for the role, while Linda Hamilton notes how she was initially skeptical but quickly impressed by Schwarzenegger’s presence.

As the doc points out, the 1970s were the era of the brilliant and slightly built thespians such as Hoffman, De Niro and Pacino, while in the 1980s, Arnold (along with Sylvester Stallone) led the charge — for better or worse — for bigger, louder, action-packed movies. Schwarzenegger continued to delight and surprise audiences by demonstrating a penchant for comedy alongside Danny DeVito in “Twins.” As Arnold puts it: “Only in America.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger is sworn in for his second term as California governor in 2007, with then-wife Maria Shriver at his side.

In the final episode, titled “American,” the series covers arguably the most unlikely chapter in Schwarzenegger’s amazing journey: his entrance into politics and his tenure as governor, with Arnold announcing his candidacy on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.” (Says Linda Hamilton: “It just seemed like a madcap thing to do.”) To the credit of the filmmakers, “Arnold” doesn’t back away from the controversies and setbacks, i.e., the multiple allegations of groping and other misconduct that surfaced during the campaign, the breakup of Schwarzenegger’s marriage to Maria Shriver after it was revealed he had fathered a son with a longtime household employee, and his ups and downs in office.

Time waits for no one, not even Mr. Olympia/The Terminator/The Governor. As Schwarzenegger puts it, “You’re 75 years old, you look in the mirror and you say, ‘What the f---?’ ” Arnold continues to work. He currently has two new Netflix projects streaming: this documentary series, and the limited action/comedy series “FUBAR,” which is popular but ... quite terrible. Still, “Arnold” is a welcome opportunity to spend time with one of the most amazing success stories in Hollywood — and political — history.

How the director of Netflix's Arnold Schwarzenegger docuseries captured the Arnold we've never seen before

• "Arnold" director Lesley Chilcott told Insider how she got Arnold Schwarzenegger to open up like never before.
• Schwarzenegger spoke candidly about his divorce from Maria Shriver.
• He also opened up about his past infidelities in the Netflix docuseries.

Arnold Schwarzenegger is a man whose mystique is as massive as the characters he's played on the big screen.

He became the face of bodybuilding in the 1970s before pivoting to Hollywood the decade after, making a name for himself as one of the founding fathers of the Hollywood action movie. Then in 2003, he made an unlikely move into politics as the governor of California. 

With such a wide-spanning, larger-than-life career to dive into, director Lesley Chilcott faced a massive challenge when she agreed to direct a three-part docuseries for Netflix on the legend's life: How in the world would she be able to showcase the individual behind the icon?

Chilcott teamed up with producer Allen Hughes — who previously directed acclaimed docuseries about the personal sides of icons Dr. Dre (HBO's "The Defiant Ones") and Tupac Shakur (FX's "Dear Mama) — to successfully pull off the in-depth look at Schwarzenegger that is "Arnold," now streaming on Netflix.

Broken up into three chapters — "Athlete," "Actor," and "American" — Chilcott conducts over 40 hours of interviews with the star, stripping away the catchphrases and cigar-chomping egotism that Schwarzenegger has worn on his sleeve for decades to reveal a man who came from very humble beginnings in Austria and used an unshakable drive to conquer the world and become one of the most recognizable figures of the late 20th century.

"A friend of his put it best: Arnold sees around corners and I still don't know if he's following things or predicting things or setting things," Chilcott told Insider on the aura that surrounds Schwarzenegger. "That's a delicious mystery for a filmmaker to kind of unpack. Especially with someone like Arnold who spreads his catchphrases in a way that they can't be stopped."

To get Schwarzenegger to stay on topic, Chilcott would 'keep asking the question until he gave a real answer'

Along with celebrating Schwarzenegger's triumphs, Chilcott said she wanted the docuseries to convey to viewers the hard work and determination he put into making his vision of becoming a success a reality. 

Chilcott commends Schwarzenegger for keeping his word to agree to talk about any topic that came up in their conversations.

"I would keep asking the question until he gave a real answer," she said about bringing up sensitive topics. "And he was willing to go there and I think that partially has to do with where he is in his life. He was willing to show sides of him that he'd never shown before, but that was the biggest challenge."

"He's naturally a great storyteller and an entertainer," she continued. "I mean, even when I would ask him to go more in-depth or hit more on an issue, he would say, 'Lesley, why don't you just make the documentary longer so you don't have to keep asking me.'"

In fact, Chilcott said she did ask Netflix to expand the docuseries to four episodes, but the streamer passed.

Related stories

Schwarzenegger also talks candidly about his childhood, which included abuse from his father, and how he was making millions before hitting it big in movies thanks to his business ventures, which included owning real estate around Los Angeles.

"Real estate, investing in art, those things really affected him," Chilcott said. "But when his voice was overdubbed in 'Hercules in New York,' the fact that he could wait and keep trying acting was because he had his mail order business, which had to do with bodybuilding. He literally had a closet with pamphlets in it. Checks would come in the mail and he would mail the pamphlets out."

So if acting didn't work out, does she think Arnold could have gone on to become a successful businessman?

"Probably but that's not Arnold," she said. "That's not his goal of combining his, as he says, Austrian discipline with the American sense of opportunity to conquer the world."

Chilcott waited 6 months into filming to finally talk to Schwarzenegger about his divorce and infidelity

In "Arnold," Schwarzenegger talks in detail for the first time ever about his failed marriage to Maria Shriver and his infidelity, which included an affair with their housekeeper that led to the birth of a son. Chilcott did ask Shriver to be in the docuseries, but she declined. Shriver filed for divorce in 2011; it was finalized a decade later in 2021.

But these conversations were among the hardest to get on camera. 

"It was a good six months in where I felt he was ready," said Chilcott. "It was a tough day for him and he was willing to go there and talk about all these issues and he was exhausted afterward."

Made over the span of two-plus years, Chilcott traveled the globe to track down Schwarzenegger. And when she couldn't get him on camera, she spent hours on the phone or FaceTime with him. Though Chilcott knew these chats may never make it into "Arnold," it was a way to bring a deeper connection between her and her subject.

So when it was time to talk about difficult topics face-to-face, there was an established comfort between them.

Chilcott also built trust by riding around with Schwarzenegger in an old tank he used to drive when he was in the Austrian army and showing up at his childhood home before filming to reorganize his bedroom so it looked like how it was when he was a kid.

"When you do a documentary, you have to earn a person's trust in order for them to go certain places. It's a process and he was very willing, but he wants other people to have fun as well," Chilcott said. "He doesn't want to be the only person having fun. So he would joke around with the crew. He would sit down and look at me with the cameras and go, 'Okay, what do you want to know?' He has this sense of humor that I think more than anything carries him through life."

But after spotlighting a man who lives in his own mythology — most of the interviews are done in his home where he is surrounded by movie memorabilia from his biggest hits, and he even reflects on his life while leafing through a giant book containing pictures of himself (which will actually be published soon by Taschen) — does she believe she ever met the real Arnold Schwarzenegger?

"That's why I did so many conversations on FaceTime and audio-only interviews," she said. "There's a shift in him when he's talking sincerely and relaxing. It's why I did the interviews at his house, where he's comfortable. It's why I go see his mini donkey and mini horse every morning before we started. We got there."

Disclosure: Mathias Döpfner, CEO of Business Insider's parent company, Axel Springer, is a Netflix board member.

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