Movie Stars' Early Films: Conan the Barbarian, Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger

Arnold Schwarzenegger is, perhaps, one of the most recognizable celebrities in modern history. He has made a name for himself in many different industries — including everything from bodybuilding to politics — but is most well-known for his acting career. With his muscular frame and unique voice, Schwarzenegger has become synonymous with the action film industry, including hits like The Running Man and the Terminator series.

Despite this, Schwarzenegger had humble beginnings as an actor. His big break in movies was a sword-and-sorcery adaptation of Conan the Barbarian, a comic series by Robert E. Howard. Although Schwarzenegger’s performance was praised by fans, it was scrutinized by critics. In honor of Schwarzenegger’s birth month being in July, here’s a look at how Conan the Barbarian shaped his acting career into what it is today.

Casting

A Conan film was conceptualized as early as 1970, and executive producer Edward R. Pressman and associate producer Edward Summer began working on the film together in 1975. It took two years for the duo to obtain the film rights. During this time, they began to think about who would play the titular character.

Popular actors such as Charles Bronson, Sylvester Stallone and William Smith were obvious considerations — all three had played tough and intimidating characters in the past and were cemented in their roles. However, while watching a rough cut of Pumping Iron, the two realized that Arnold Schwarzenegger was perfect for the role. His huge, muscular frame was what ultimately sold Pressman and Summer on hiring him for the role, and his intimidating personality only strengthened their interest.

Unfortunately, Pressman and Summer were unable to finish producing their version of Conan the Barbarian due to financial difficulties. The project was sold to Dino De Laurentiis, an influential producer in the fantasy film industry, with John Milius taking over production and Pressman stepping down into a co-producer role. Because of Pressman’s firm belief in him, Schwarzenegger retained his role as Conan even after the buyout.

Filming

Schwarzenegger’s thick Austrian accent is seen as charming and iconic today, but during the filming of Conan the Barbarian, it was a heavy concern for the film’s producers and studio. Universal Pictures tried to have Schwarzenegger train with a voice coach in order to eliminate his accent, but it proved unsuccessful, leading to the cut of an opening dialogue sequence.

Other than that, Schwarzenegger’s filming experience seemed to go well. True to his continued character, Schwarzenegger performed all his own stunts during the filming process. He even had two swords forged for use in the film, each costing around $10,000 to forge. (He would end up keeping at least one of the swords; most notably, it ended up in his government office when Schwarzenegger served as Governor of California.)

Release and Reception

Unfortunately, reviews of Conan the Barbarian were extremely polarized. While the movie was very popular with high school and college-age males — especially those who followed Arnold Schwarzenegger’s bodybuilding career — critics and families panned the film for its violent content. Hollywood violence was a frequent topic in the mainstream media at the time, and Conan the Barbarian was the perfect target with its many violent scenes.

Meanwhile, critics faulted Schwarzenegger for his “flat” and “dull” performance, with some even saying they were glad he had very few speaking lines. Luckily, his physical appearance earned praise from other critics and many moviegoers — Schwarzenegger was a physically convincing barbarian with bulging muscles and a rough posture, and everyone noticed.

In the end, Conan the Barbarian grossed around $79.1 million in ticket sales against a budget of $20 million, making the film a financial success. Sales and rental figures for the home video release of Conan were high, with the movie being in the Top 40 Sales and Rental category of Billboard’s Top 100 list for 23 weeks. The film was even novelized and adapted by Marvel into a comic.

Legacy

Arnold Schwarzenegger was one of the top beneficiaries of the movie. Conan the Barbarian brought Schwarzenegger worldwide recognition as an action star and established his “icy, brawny and inexpressive” acting style, making him a shoo-in for future roles as the Terminator and more. Additionally, his role as Conan the Barbarian has been fondly remembered by the public — during backing of George H.W. Bush's presidential campaign, audiences jokingly called him “Conan the Republican.” Schwarzenegger has fondly acknowledged the role of Conan as “God’s gift to his career,” and worked on its 1984 sequel: Conan the Destroyer.

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