The Day I met Arnold, Got My Photo with Him & Talked EX3!
Dan DeltsJanuary 26th is Boxing Day in Australia, a public holiday that the nation has off. On the evening of this Australia Day, there were rumours of The Austrian Oak touring Australia on social media... The next morning, i turned on my laptop and checked out my daily news. I saw confirmation that The Terminator himself WAS in fact touring Australia in just 5 months time for a series of Financial Summit Events for Jamie McIntyre (Australia’s Anthony Robbins). As soon as they announced “the Platinum Package” which guaranteed a one-on-one photo – I know which one I HAD to “Get to the Choppa” and secure.
Being in my mid 30s, I grew up on Arnold, Sly and Van Damme. I remember wearing out Commando on VHS and will never forget the first time I saw Terminator on TV while I was at my Aunties house and saw that infamous love scene between Sarah Connor and Kyle Reese, as a prepubescent teen, it was as close to adult film as I got… So many memories that defined my childhood from each and every Arnold film…I even enjoyed Jingle All the Way with a mate in the theater, we were the oldest ones there and laughed the hardest. As Arnold disappeared into the world of politics and away from the big screen, my interest & obsession moved on to other things – career, wife & my baby girl. But Arnold’s influence on me was never far away – In July 2007, I walked past a Muscle & Fitness Magazine on the news stand and who was on the cover? “ Arnold The First 60 years” ..Can you believe, picking up this magazine changed my life – I re-joined the gym, dropped 25kgs, obtained my personal training qualifications and re-discovered my love of bodybuilding … all because of this man on this magazine.
In a trip to the US in 2011, I met Lou Ferrigno at the Mr Olympia in Vegas, and was blessed to have family in LA that had a connection to Arnold’s best friend Franco Colombu. They set up a meeting at his office and I got to have a chat for about 20 minutes, his career and his trips to Australia and love for Australia…Arnold was away filming The Last Stand at the time.
But with Arnold away from LA and having met Lou & Franco, I was determined to get to as close to Arnold as I could – in the form of locations of my favourite Schwarzenegger movies, namely T1, T2, Commando and End of Days.
Flash forward to today and after all the location stalking, meeting of Arnold’s best friends and Pumping Iron co-stars, I was finally going to meet the man himself and I didn’t have to travel to the US to do it. Yep, Arnold was coming to my home city of Melbourne, Australia and I had the Platinum pass that included a meeting. As the June 14th,2013 approached, there was a gym called Derrimut out in the burbs, a huge gym, an old school bodybuilders gym that had secured Arnold for a 1 hour session on training & motivation. I couldn’t believe it! TWO Arnold Events in a space of hours? Now I was just being spoilt, and READY to soak it all in. The Austrian Oak, in my town for 24 hours, at 2 events and I was going to be front and centre at both!
The day had come, June 14th 2013. I hadn’t slept much the night before, it was like Christmas Eve, I didn’t want to sleep in, I had to make sure my mobile phone was charged, my SLR was ready, charged and had a memory card that was prepared to be filled with 100s of photos of the following hours. My “Arnold is Numero Uno” T Shirt, fresh from an ebay purchase had only been worn once or twice and was ready to be proudly worn the day I met Arnold. Knowing that the Perth & Sydney events had just taken place; the word on social media was the “meeting” with Arnold was brief and very little opportunity was given to obtain an autograph…regardless I still carefully selected a magazine for a signature “Just in case” the opportunity arose. My choice was varied, but I ended up going for a classic Arnold/Wieder cover.
With the day off work, the backpack ready and my brother turning up on time (for once)…we made our way to Derrimut Gym and turned up an hour before Arnold’s scheduled appearance at 1pm and there were already 1000 people there…this was going to be huge!
It’s 12pm on 14th June, 2013 and Arnold is expected to arrive before lunch. About 200 VIP tickets sold at $795 each and included lunch, a photo with Arnold and Arnold’s Bodybuilding Encyclopaedia with an autograph inserted inside. A pretty good deal if you ask me, but this went on sale after the Financial Summit tour was announced. There were probably another 800 in general admission, vying for a position to get a good look when Arnold gets on stage. I was surprised I got in right behind the guy in the green hoody (above photo to the right). I was about 3 metres from the stage, to the very right of stage with a perfect view.
The gym had some pre-Arnold show, with some fitness dancers, a female singer and the crowd were polite and clapped, but they weren’t why we were here and as 1pm approached, we knew who we wanted to see. The MC advised Arnold was “not far away” and that the VIPs were to head upstairs for lunch and to get ready for their photo…So it seemed Arnold was about 30 minutes late and lunch was going to be rushed for the VIPs. As 1:15pm approached, VIPs started filing back into their seats, with their Arnold Encyclopaedias and a grin from ear to ear…It was clear, they had been in presence of the great man and photos were well underway.
I noticed a guy standing next to me with a killer moustache and an awesome Last Stand T-Shirt, as I struck up conversation, it was clear, this was no accident (our meeting). Steve was a huge Arnold fan, collector and active member of TheArnoldFans.com, in 15 minutes we discussed our love for The Last Stand, our collections and our families…
1:30pm was here, all the VIPs were back in their seats and I saw the publicist for the tour Max Markson behind the stage – I KNEW Arnold was in the room and READY to meet me… I mean us J
Australian Boxing Legend Danny Green, was pushed onstage by the MC and invited to introduce Arnold to the crowd…Danny was also a guest speaker at the Financial Summit that they would both be speaking at later that day, and it was clear that Danny ALSO was in awe of Arnold’s presence. The tough Aussie Boxer was giddy, quoting his favourite lines and saying how he loved commando and the bit where Matrix says “Don’t disturb my friend, he’s dead tired”. The crowd loved that Danny was as excited as we were.
After a few minutes of polite introductions and quips back and forth, it was Arnold who we were here to listen to, address the audience and impart his advice. If you had read his autobiography, seen his interviews on tv or read the magazines, much of what he said was not new, but it was amazing hearing it in person. Arnold did what he has done since he first came to be in the US, he has done it for 40+ years; made us laugh, charmed the crowd and left nothing behind.
He discussed focusing 100% on whatever you are doing, work your ass off and always shoot for number one. He never wanted to be just “a bodybuilder” he wanted to be the greatest bodybuilder of all time, he imagine lifting trophies in the gym, not weights. He ignored the Naysayers that said he “couldn’t do it” and set himself up through labouring business, bodybuilding contracts and smart investments so that he didn’t have to take bit-parts in movies as “security” or “Nightclub Bouncer 2”…EVERYTHING was a strategic plan. Fail was not a word, let alone an option for Arnold.
When he changed the focus to Hollywood for a movie career, he didn’t want to be an actor or just a star, he wanted to be “The Biggest Action Star of All time, the most successful AND the highest paid”…and he was.
When it came to political interests, he couldn’t become President as he was foreign born, but the next best thing was Governor of California, the biggest state, the biggest economy…again he got laughs when he said he didn’t want to be a mayor, or city councilman or just on the senate – he wanted to be the highest position he could be…and we know how that turned out.
So he discussed bodybuilding, a little politics and movies, he talked about his favourite lines- “Ill be back, If It bleeds we can kill it and Get to the Choppa”…It was awesome for him to pull out a lesser known line from Raw Deal “ Don’t drink and Bake” …which got a few chuckles.
After about an hour, they finished with getting Arnold on a lift to sign this massive mural at the Gym and it was at this point, as I used my SLR to get in with the Paparazzi and asked him if he was going to be in Expendables 3. I said “Arnold” Yes, he replied. Expendables 3? Are you doing it? “ Yes, I’m in it”… I said when do you start filming “August?” He said “Correct. In LA” and then I fired off the message to Randy to break the news around the world!
He was quickly ushered away in his waiting limo and I was happy, that I got to ask him a question AND one that hadn’t yet been asked (or confirmed).
It was close to 3pm….and I had to make my way back to the city for the Financial Summit Cocktail Party at 6pm…so I could meet Arnold again AND get my photo
6pm fast approached and it was time to get dressed up to see Arnold in person for my photo. With friends in toe, along with my brother Marcus, it was something we had waited a lifetime for…I didn’t know if I had a minute with him or a second… I knew one thing, I was not going to say “ Im your biggest fan” cause EVERYONE says that.
After a couple of beers (it was a cocktail party after all), my nerves had settled and we lined up for our photo, there must have been 300 people in the queue. Being about half way in, I knew atleast we weren’t going to get him at the exhausted stage, but I also knew that 300 people for a photo and he was due on stage for his keynote address at the financial summit in an hour, this was going to be a QUICK meet.
I was right, they flew through the photos. A few housekeeping rules, don’t scream; and Arnold would shake your hand if he wanted too – I guess 300 handshakes would get tiring. One thing was clear – this WASN’T the opportunity for an autograph and don’t take anything up to get signed, as this is a photo and that is it. I was disappointed, but not surprised, as I was aware it ran similarly in Perth and Sydney the previous nights. So as my time approached, I took a deep breath and said “Arnold, great to meet you and I had the pleasure of meeting Franco last year at his office”. Arnold replied “Yeaahhhh, alright!” I suppose it was something he wasn’t expecting AND a bit different to what he usually hears, so I was happy. I put my hand on his shoulder, smiled and that was it. Photo taken…and on to the next one…it felt like 20 seconds…it was probably more like 10 seconds…but it will last me a lifetime AND until I meet him again.
I thought I was original wearing my “Arnold is Numero Uno” T Shirt…there were 2 other guys there with it. Lucky for me, I look liked I worked out. HA!
In true Schwarzenegger fashion, he asked the audience to “sit down and relax” in a stern yet playful tone. It was evident that he was excited to be back in Australia and was engaging right from the onset. He even joked about the failure of “Hercules Goes Bananas” and referred to himself as the “Professor of Action”.
Jokes aside, Schwarzenegger went through his five rules for success, which included finding one’s vision and following it through, to thinking big and shooting for the stars. With any big venture, failure is a risk. Yet Schwarzenegger says, “I was never afraid of failure as failure happens. It’s a part of life... what makes you a failure is if you stay down, but if you get up you’re a winner.”
Another of the Terminator’s rules for success was to “ignore naysayers”. If Mr Universe himself had not lived by his own rules, the USA would be void of one of the most influential Governors. When Schwarzenegger was elected as Governor of California he wanted to change the old infrastructure and overcrowded classrooms. Although he was met with resistance by legislators, Schwarzenegger refused to give up. The word “impossible” was not in his repertoire. During his speech on Friday night, Schwarzenegger referred to Nelson Mandela's words of wisdom, “It’s only impossible until someone does it.”
The most important of Schwarzenegger's rules was to “give back”. He expresses, “I took every opportunity I could to help people.” Schwarzenegger started an after school program to help vulnerable children amongst many other charity projects. “I'd rather play chess with an eight-year-old kid in an after school program or play golf with a special Olympian than to go down the red carpet of another movie premier,” he explained.
The keynote address was fairly similar to what was said at Derrimut Gym earlier that day, a bit more fleshed out, but what I really loved were the Q&A with the audience. About 3-4 people from each side of the Auditorium asked questions and he gave great answers…in particular discussed fear. Arnold talked about a story on the set of The 6th Day that was a fairly simple stunt that could have ended in death…but huge stunts on True Lies and other movies where he expected danger, although close calls occurred, it was the ones he didn’t expect (on the less action based scenes) that nearly cost him his life. He basically said, you never know what can happen, so live to the fullest and don’t bother having fear – cause it’s the things you DON’T expect to beat you that can.
It finished up at around 9:30pm, Arnold spoke for about 75 minutes and then did about 30 minutes of Q&A. It was a long day, but one I will never forget and ALWAYS be grateful for…
My only real regret is that since it has been so long since Arnold was in Australia, he was literally in Australia for 3 days – Wednesday Perth, Thursday Sydney and Friday Melbourne – he had wheels up back to LA at 6am Saturday. I know it was a paid speaking tour, but Arnold doesn’t need the money and didn’t have to come..and while im glad he did, there were fans that couldn’t afford the $10,000 a head dinner in each city – where you could get a sit down meal with Arnold AND items signed… I would have thought to reach “real fans” there might have been an opportunity for him to spend an hour or two in each city (with security) and just meet the fans, answer some questions, sign some stuff AND pose for a pic that couldn’t afford the pricey tickets…am I being naïve? Maybe…but when I saw the Arnold Fan that Tattoo’ed Arnold on his head and Arnold signed it, I thought – really? And when Arnold posted it on facebook and said “one of my favourite fans” I thought to myself, there wasn’t a real opportunity for him to get to meet “real fans” beyond those privileged enough to afford the dinner – beyond that, he was well protected. So hopefully he will “Be Back” and be more accessible on the next trip.
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