Arnold Schwarzenegger says Lucille Ball was 'like a mother' to him
Arnold Schwarzenegger says Lucille Ball was 'like a mother' to him
Raechal ShewfeltWed, March 25, 2026 at 11:07 PM UTC
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Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lucille Ball in 'Happy Anniversary and Goodbye'Credit: Tubi
Arnold Schwarzenegger truly does love Lucy.
The star of The Terminator explained in a recirculated interview with Andy Cohen on Sirius XM that Lucille Ball cold-called him in the '70s, after seeing him on talker The Merv Griffin Show. She tracked down the bodybuilder at a fitness facility — where else? — and asked him to audition for her 1974 TV movie Happy Anniversary and Goodbye.
"I was shocked that she would call the gym, Gold's Gym," Schwarzenegger recalled. "She said, 'I saw you on The Merv Griffin Show, Arnold. I saw you last night... you were so funny. I want you to be part of my special. There is a character that is a masseur, and he's going to massage me, and my husband is getting really jealous about it. Come on in and read.'"
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Now 78, Schwarzenegger was a twentysomething former Mr. Universe who spoke little English when he first encountered the I Love Lucy star.
But he agreed to come in and read for the part, which he thought meant that he would simply read a script, although that alone posed a challenge for him.
Not to worry. Schwarzenegger said the TV legend helped him through the audition by exaggerating her laugh and complimenting him on his ability to improvise.
The comedy legend also instructed the newbie actor to step up his game when they filmed before a live TV audience.
Schwarzenegger didn't understand the directive.
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"So I go in there, and I take off my jacket. And as I go to take off my jacket, I have a tank top on," the former California governor said. "Of course, this was literally a month before the Mr. Olympia competition, so I was pumped up. I was huge. I weighed 250 lbs. So the audience, now, is applauding... everybody's applauding, and I look out there, totally in shock that there were people around. So now I see this whole audience."
Suddenly, he understood. No words in any language were needed.
Ball appeared to get that he had been startled and supported him through not only the scene but his career.
Schwarzenegger once played Ball's masseurCredit: Tubi
"She was like a mother," he said. "I did a (1976) movie called Stay Hungry with Jeff Bridges and Sally Field. I won the Golden Globe for Best Acting Debut. [Ball] wrote me a long, two-page letter, handwritten, saying, 'Arnold, I'm so proud of you. You are a sweet enough guy, you deserve it. You're a great performer. You're going to have a great career,' all this kind of stuff."
Schwarzenegger said Ball had cheered him on in the years that followed.
"Every single time, until [1982's Conan the Barbarian], and then she passed away," Schwarzenegger said, "she wrote me letters and always congratulated me and told me, always, how proud she was of me."
Ball died in 1989 at 77. Her young friend went on to become a huge action star with films such as Predator, True Lies, and Total Recall.
Watch the full conversation above.
on Entertainment Weekly
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
