Arnold Schwarzenegger‘s influence on the bodybuilding world doesn’t just begin and end with his posing routine on the stage; the Austrian Oak’s blockbuster filmography is also a favorite within the community. And when we asked the bodybuilders at the 2019 Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus, Ohio for their favorite Schwarzenegger movie, it proved to be the most difficult question of the night.
See, it’s not easy to pick Arnold’s best. Do you go the sword-and-sorcery route with Conan, or do you go a bit more sci-fi with the Terminator movies and Predator? What about something more offbeat, like The Sixth Day (which we definitely overheard from one competitor) or The Running Man? There’s a lot to consider, and you definitely don’t want to say the wrong thing and have the world think you love Last Action Hero.
Here’s what nine of the most high-profile bodybuilders in the sport chose as their favorite Arnold movie—plus, we also asked them to recall their favorite personal moment from past Arnold Classics.
Favorite Arnold Schwarzenegger Movie: “There’s a new one that came out. Sabotage! That’s it!”
Favorite Arnold Classic Memory: “The buffet in the back—those cookies! I pack up early and put the cookies and the burgers in my Tupperware. Two years ago, we would share the buffet with the open bodybuilders and they’d eat it all before we go there, so I learned my lesson.”
Steve Kuclo, 2014 Arnold Classic South America Champ
Favorite Arnold Schwarzenegger Movie: “Terminator 2, man! I’ve seen that over and over and over. That was the first Arnold movie I saw where I was like, ‘This dude is badass.’”
Favorite Arnold Classic Memory: “I’ve been coming here since I was 14 or 15. I won the Arnold Brazil, which will probably always be my favorite memory, but being on this stage, in Ohio, last year, was an epic memory.”
Favorite Arnold Schwarzenegger Movie: “Conan. It was such a good story; he had his friends in the movie, and it was the first time seeing a bodybuilder other than Lou Ferrigno on TV. He looked like a god. Plus, who doesn’t love anything with swords? Maybe I should do a workout video with a sword fight at the end.”
Favorite Arnold Classic Memory: “Backstage, Arnold was calling my name and I’’m looking at him like, ‘Me?’ He said, ‘Victor, I’ve been calling you…I want you to take a picture with my son.’ It was cool as hell, man. I remember that like it was yesterday.”
Janet Layug, 2015 Arnold Classic Australia Bikini Champ
Favorite Arnold Schwarzenegger Movie: “The Terminator and Conan are always good. He’s such a classic, and his new movies are funny.”
Favorite Arnold Classic Memory: “2014 was my pro debut, and I had to step on this prestigious stage with all of these top women. The pressure was intense. It was a huge deal for me to start my career at that point. There are also a lot of different sports at the Arnold and my daughter was big into tennis, so we took a few moments to play some on the courts they had. That was a nice break away from the hustle and bustle.”
