Manganiello "Sabotage" Exclusive: Part 2: Superheroes & a Future Arnold Team-Up!

Last week at the SABOTAGE Los Angeles premiere, I met Grinder, played by Joe Manganiello at the after-party and then sat down with him on the following day for a one-on-one interview. If you missed our PART 1 interview with Joe (talking deleted scenes and WWE RAW), then click HERE! 

TheArnoldFans: I've heard a rumor that you might have a future film project in mind for Schwarzenegger. What's this film project and what can you say about Arnold's role?

Joe Manganiello: It's a movie called I Heart Pittsburgh. I'm not writing it; my really great friend and colleague named Gloria Calderon Kellett, who used to write for "How I met Your Mother," "Rules of Engagement" and "Devious Maids" and now she writes for "Mixology." She's a phenomenal writer who used to write for Cameron Crowe so I think she's like a female Cameron Crowe who writes for dudes and bros better than anyone I've ever met. She was on "How I Met your Mother" when I did the "Brunch For Bros" episode and I've done a bunch of plays with her and now she's writing a screenplay for me to direct called I Heart Pittsburgh and there's a role in it for Arnold. I haven't talked to him (Arnold) yet. I just want to get it all together before I go over there...but he and I talk about stuff all the time and we definitely want to work together again. 

**Arnold recently said that he'd like Joe to play one of Danny Devito's twin kids in Twins 2: Triplets. 

TheArnoldFans: How difficult was it to get Arnold to do the forward in your book EVOLUTION? Did you only have to ask once?

Manganiello: I got the book offer right when we started shooting (Sabotage), or the formal offer, and I was in the middle of formulating my outline and what I wanted to say in the book...so in the make-up trailer, I started up the conversation and I told Arnold about the book and what I wanted to do with it and he thought it was awesome and offered his help in any way. So that was pretty amazing to know I had that going in the process, that MY bodybuilding idol... the reason that I picked up a weight in the first place and started training was then going to co-sign my book. Because truly, I grew up with The Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding and I grew up with Arnold's workout magazines and Weider mags and things like that, so to be able to then have his blessing allows my book to stand on the shoulders of  what he created. 

TheArnoldFans: Let me geek-out with you for a minute. First, what were your favorite toys as a kid or what do you still collect?

Manganiello: Well, as a kid it was Star Wars. I had everything Star Wars. Until G.I. Joe hit, then I had every G.I.Joe toy. But now, now I collect artwork and paintings. I had a painting commissioned recently of my wolf from True Blood. This oil painter painted this badass snarling wolf. It's a one of a kind oil painting that I have up over my desk. And I collect cigars.

TheArnoldFans: What were your two favorite comic book super heroes?

Manganiello: Growing up, my two favorite super heroes were Marshal Law and Colossus. 

TheArnoldFans: So if the studio comes to you now, you'd want to play these roles?

Manganiello: I want to do Marshal Law myself. I also wrote a story myself to reinvent the entire Colossus franchise. Reinvent and update the entire story line. They did one a few years ago; they did like an Ultimate Colossus that didn't really click with me and I have an idea. 

TheArnoldFans: What's Marshal Law?

Manganiello: Marshall Law is a really subversive odd and strange comic book that was released around 1987 and kind of flew very much under the radar. But I got ahold of it. I actually shop-lifted it when I was a kid and I went back 14 years later and paid for it. I break it out about every year and read it. It's about one of the best stories I've ever read.

TheArnoldFans: Cool, I hope these projects happen for you.

Joe Manganiello: Thanks man, yeah, we'll see!

 

TheArnoldFans: I see you with Arnold everywhere throughout this promotional tour. Is this something the studio asked you to do or is it just that you and Arnold click so well?

Manganiello: Whether if it's in the gym or it's writing a book or directing a documentary, I hit everything with all that I have. I think that Arnold and I come from similar backgrounds. There were a lot of people that told Arnold that he couldn't do it and that he was crazy for doing what he did. I certainly experienced a lot of that. People told me 'don't do this. You're making a mistake in your life' and 'you're crazy.' On a deeper level, Arnold is obviously involved in the arts and in bodybuilding and the two biggest things in my life have always been the athletics and the arts with acting. We're both philanthropic and try to give back and that's certainly something Arnold and I have done together whether it's the After-School All-Stars or handing out toys at the Christmas toy drive. We both try to make the world a better place and try to use our influence to help people and the kids, especially. Aside from that, we both like steaks. We both like cigars. All the things I do in my free time, Arnold does. We also both come from construction backgrounds. He used to run construction with Franco and I used to lay bricks and shovel sand and gravel. 

TheArnoldFans:  I was just out there in Venice. I had to go visit the wall that Arnold and Franco built.

TheArnoldFans: I saw Franco Columbu at the after-party. Have you met Franco before?

Manganiello: Oh yeah, well, he's part of Arnold's crew so yeah, I met Franco during shooting, no wait, maybe I met him afterwards at Arnold's holiday parties and get-togethers. And then we all went to the Arnold Classic together and Franco knows I have the Italian last name so he comes up and fucks with me and I fuck with him. That's just how Arnold's crew which is to outdo each other. That guy reminds me of Italian uncles that I have so there's a real sense of family that I have for Franco. When I was a kid, I had a poster of all the Mr. Olympias on the wall and the Art Zeller photos. So it was Arnold, Franco and Franck Zane and basically all the guys that I met at Joe Weider's memorial. You know, THAT's probably where I met Franco, at Joe's memorial. I was there at the table with Betty Weider and Lou Ferrigno, Terry Crews and Franco. That's where I met the whole gang for the first time. Arnold asked me to speak at Joe Weider's memorial on behalf of my generation of bodybuilding. That was a huge honor to sit at that table with Arnold, Lou, Franco, Terry Crews and have Frank Zane speak right before me. To be a part of those legends and then to carry that tradition on.

My speech really centered on the fact that my generation takes everything for granted. People were once told that bodybuilding was going to hurt them. Athletes were advised not to bodybuild, which is absurd to think about but these guys really took something which was considered a freak show with dirty basements. I remember Arnold telling me stories about Andy Warhol and they both got along because they were both looked at as freaks. But in today's world, that is not the case. Fitness is the mainstream now. It is the norm. People who don't work out...that's weird now. 

Stick around for our final PART 3 interview with Joe when we talk stogies, humidors, Arnold rings, True Blood, Robert Patrick and more! See Joe with Arnold in Sabotage playing NOW in theaters!