Bianca Wooden
Arnold Schwarzenegger got metaphysical in a conversation with fellow actor Danny DeVito.
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During a chat with Interview magazine, DeVito asked the action star, “What’s in the future for us? What do you think, in terms of our species? Are we going to last?” This prompted a deeper conversation about Schwarzenegger’s beliefs about the afterlife.
Arnold Schwarzenegger Offers Thoughts on Death in Interview
“It reminds me of Howard Stern’s question to me,” the Terminator actor said. “‘Tell me, governor, what happens to us when we die?’ I said, ‘Nothing. You’re 6 feet under. Anyone that tells you something else is a f—ing liar.”
He continued, “I said, ‘We don’t know what happens with the soul and all this spiritual stuff that I’m not an expert in, but I know that the body as we see each other now, we will never see each other again like that.'”
Schwarzenegger elaborated that he was bothered by the concept of death, and that he considered heaven a “fantasy” to help people cope with the terrifying idea of life ending.
“When people talk about, ‘I will see them again in heaven,’ it sounds so good, but the reality is that we won’t see each other again after we’re gone,” he explained. “That’s the sad part. I know people feel comfortable with death, but I don’t.”
He added that he couldn’t come to terms with the idea that, one day, he would no longer be able to do the things he loves, such as, “to have fun and to go to the gym and to pump up, to ride my bike on the beach, to travel around, to see interesting things all over the world.”
Both actors, now in their seventies, went on to discuss the phenomenon of losing more and more loved ones as they age.
“That’s why you have to treasure every single moment,” said Danny DeVito, adding, “To me, heaven is where I put a person who I love dearly, who is kind, who is generous, who made a difference in my life and other people’s lives.”
The Heist actor continued, “I keep them in a spot in my head, like that front row that you have of all of your friends. And you always have a good feeling when you think of them.”
Schwarzenegger revealed that he’d lost 15 friends “in bodybuilding alone” in the past 20 years.
According to People, Netflix is set to release a three-part documentary on the Austrian bodybuilder’s journey to fame, titled Arnold. It will begin streaming on Wednesday. His action-comedy series, FUBAR, is already available on the platform.
