Arnold Schwarzenegger 30-for-30: Steroids, Jail & a Homophobic Mom

Arnold Schwarzenegger and his path to becoming a bodybuilding champion is the subject of one of the short films in ESPN’s new 30 for 30 Shorts series. In it he confesses to taking steroids and being thrown in jail, and he talks about his mom worrying over the pictures of naked oiled up men hanging in his teenage bedroom.

My mother was always worried because she saw the pictures on my bedroom wall of naked men oiled up. So she called the house doctor and said, ‘Is there something wrong? Is my son turning south here? All his friends have girls on the wall and he has only men oiled up with little briefs on.

That’s some cringe-worthy vintage homophobia. Although, in context of location in time and space, it could have been much worse.

So, his desire to be properly pumped up brought him scorn from his parents, it also got him a few nights in jail. He had joined the army because it was the best way to get a passport so he could come to America to train. The only problem is that being in that actual army got in the way of his bodybuilding.

You weren’t allowed to leave during basic training, so I basically just snuck out at night and let a friend pick me up with the car,” he said. “I won the European Junior Championship competition, and by the time I got back, word got around that I won. They did not know what to do with me, so they put me in jail for two, three days. Then they felt uncomfortable about that, and then they finally let me out.

He also admits to taking steroids. Really? How could you, Arnold? My whole sense of right and wrong has been shattered! You have forever been tarnished in my eyes. I think we need to put and asterisk next to his governorship. I mean, who could have guessed that he had used steroids?

All Natural

For a short film, that’s certainly a lot of ground to cover.

For more Arnold check out The 20 Awesomest Arnold Schwarzenegger GIFs.