Arnold Schwarzenegger Once Used an ‘Accent-Removal’ Coach

Arnold Schwarzenegger appeared on The Graham Norton Show Thursday night to promote his new book, Be Useful. During his visit he discussed the obstacles he encountered on his way to fame, and revealed he employed a very peculiar kind of trainer.

“I had an English coach, an acting coach, a speech coach, and an accent-removal coach,” the FUBAR star reported. He then clarified that the accent-removal coach “has passed away since, but I should have otherwise gotten my money back.”

Schwarzenegger explained how the trainer’s process did assist him, though just not in the intended way. “The guy had me say, ‘A fine wine grows on a vine.’ And now I ran around with that,” he recalled. The teacher also taught him how to say a “vibrating z” such as “the sink is made out of zinc.”

“Useful phrases,” Norton joked.

“It was very helpful [for enunciation],” the 76-year-old told the host, “but it didn’t get rid of my accent!”

Eventually, Schwarzenegger recalled, his greatest challenge became his strongest asset, as the directors of two of his biggest films have both expressed their belief that his accent worked in their favor. He recalled an oft-repeated anecdote in which John Milius, the director of Conan, told the press: “If we wouldn’t have had Schwarzenegger, we would’ve had to build one.”

He also told the panel: “Jim Cameron said what made Terminator work, and what made it successful, is that Schwarzenegger talks like a machine.”

Schwarzenegger said everything he’s accomplished has been possible because he never gave up. “I always chased the vision. I always looked forward and didn’t listen to the naysayers,” he said. “Everyone, including my parents, thought I was out of my mind wanting to be an actor. Luckily, I didn’t listen to them. They said I couldn’t be on the same ladder as Clint Eastwood and Charles Bronson, so I made my own ladder.”

In addition to the backstory about his accent, Schwarzenegger has revealed a plethora of interesting tidbits on this promotional tour. He’s spoken about his strict parenting tactics, the “fuck-up” that broke up his marriage to Maria Shriver, and how his physique at one point prevented him from getting acting roles. His self-help memoir, Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life, is available now from all booksellers.