Before Conan made him an international star, Arnold Schwarzenegger was treated as a highly speculative investment rather than a proven leading man. Edward Pressman became convinced that the immense bodybuilder was the ideal visual embodiment of Frank Frazetta's Conan artwork after seeing a rough cut of Pumping Iron. Schwarzenegger was signed for a reported $250,000 and placed on retainer, an arrangement that reserved his services while the production struggled through years of financing and rights negotiations. His contract also restricted him from appearing in other sword-and-sorcery films, effectively preventing a rival fantasy production from exploiting the same muscular barbarian image while Conan was being assembled. Schwarzenegger later described the project as his biggest opportunity to establish himself in entertainment. To protect that opportunity, he underwent an eighteen-month preparation program involving weight training, rope climbing, horseback riding, swimming, and weapons work, slimming from approximately 240 to 210 pounds before filming. The gamble paid off: although critics were divided on the film, Conan gave him worldwide recognition and helped launch his movie-star career.
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AI concept artworkArchive Record · Late 1970s-1980s
Arnold Schwarzenegger Was Put on Retainer—and Barred from Other Sword-and-Sorcery Films
Arnold Schwarzenegger / Late 1970s-1980s
Before Conan made him an international star, Arnold Schwarzenegger was treated as a highly speculative investment rather than a proven leading man. Edward Pressman became convinced that the immense bodybuilder was the ideal visual embodiment of Frank Frazetta's Conan artwork after seeing a rough cut of Pumping Iron. Schwarzenegger was signed for a reported $250,000 and placed on retainer, an arrangement that reserved his services while the production struggled through years of financing and rights negotiations. His contract also restricted him from appearing in other sword-and-sorcery films, effectively preventing a rival fantasy production from exploiting the same muscular barbarian image while Conan was being assembled. Schwarzenegger later described the project as his biggest opportunity to establish himself in entertainment. To protect that opportunity, he underwent an eighteen-month preparation program involving weight training, rope climbing, horseback riding, swimming, and weapons work, slimming from approximately 240 to 210 pounds before filming. The gamble paid off: although critics were divided on the film, Conan gave him worldwide recognition and helped launch his movie-star career.
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