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Schwarzenegger Seen as Very Ambitious
Aired August 12, 2003 - 15:17 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KING: When it comes to taking a stand on the big issues in California, Schwarzenegger has done little to fill in the blanks, at least so far. But can we glean any insights into how the actor- turned-politician thinks from his days pumping iron?
Our Charles Feldman does a little digging.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHARLES FELDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Some clues about Arnold Schwarzenegger the person might be found in "Pumping Iron," a documentary about body building that began shooting in 1975, when Schwarzenegger was 28 years old.
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER (R), CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR CANDIDATE: I was always dreaming about very powerful (UNINTELLIGIBLE), and things like that. I was just always impressed by people who could be remembered for hundreds of years. Or, you know, when like Jesus (UNINTELLIGIBLE) thousands of years remembered.
FELDMAN: Schwarzenegger has had a recurring dream about becoming king of the earth, says the man who produced and directed "Pumping Iron." He attributes the dream to the actor's enormous ambition.
GEORGE BUTLER, PRODUCER, DIRECTOR "PUMPING IRON": He really had a plan to become a millionaire as quickly as possible, to get to the very top of body building, to meet the Kennedys, to get to the White House. And nothing that's going on in California is even remotely surprising to any of us who have known Arnold for a long time.
FELDMAN: Perhaps other clues to Schwarzenegger's character may be found in his story about his father's death, which came while he was on his final training for a body building competition.
SCHWARZENEGGER: My mother called me on the phone and she said, you know, "Your dad died." And this was exactly two months before a contest. She said, "Can you come home to the funeral?" I said, "No, it's too late."
You know, he said, there's nothing to be done. And "I'm sorry, I can't come, you know."
FELDMAN: But (UNINTELLIGIBLE) when Schwarzenegger was 28 relevant to today? As you might expect, California Democratic Party campaign advisor, Bob Mulholland, says, yes.
BOB MULHOLLAND, CALIFORNIA DEMOCRATIC PARTY CAMPAIGN ADVISER: Absolutely not. If you're going to campaign as a celebrity, you have to be open to the fact that the press and the voters have a right to know what your views were 20 years ago or 30 years ago.
FELDMAN: We talked to Schwarzenegger's top campaign advisor about the comments made in the documentary.
GEORGE GORTON, SCHWARZENEGGER'S CAMPAIGN MANAGER: I don't think he met anything other than the fact that he's interested in people who made a real difference in society. You know, he's interested in them as a matter of fascination. So I don't think there's any problem with that, no.
FELDMAN: Although other politicians, such as Al Gore, have admitted experimenting with various drugs in their youth, Schwarzenegger may be the only one who did it in front of a camera. This scene comes at the end of the film.
Charles Feldman, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired August 12, 2003 - 15:17 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KING: When it comes to taking a stand on the big issues in California, Schwarzenegger has done little to fill in the blanks, at least so far. But can we glean any insights into how the actor- turned-politician thinks from his days pumping iron?
Our Charles Feldman does a little digging.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHARLES FELDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Some clues about Arnold Schwarzenegger the person might be found in "Pumping Iron," a documentary about body building that began shooting in 1975, when Schwarzenegger was 28 years old.
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER (R), CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR CANDIDATE: I was always dreaming about very powerful (UNINTELLIGIBLE), and things like that. I was just always impressed by people who could be remembered for hundreds of years. Or, you know, when like Jesus (UNINTELLIGIBLE) thousands of years remembered.
FELDMAN: Schwarzenegger has had a recurring dream about becoming king of the earth, says the man who produced and directed "Pumping Iron." He attributes the dream to the actor's enormous ambition.
GEORGE BUTLER, PRODUCER, DIRECTOR "PUMPING IRON": He really had a plan to become a millionaire as quickly as possible, to get to the very top of body building, to meet the Kennedys, to get to the White House. And nothing that's going on in California is even remotely surprising to any of us who have known Arnold for a long time.
FELDMAN: Perhaps other clues to Schwarzenegger's character may be found in his story about his father's death, which came while he was on his final training for a body building competition.
SCHWARZENEGGER: My mother called me on the phone and she said, you know, "Your dad died." And this was exactly two months before a contest. She said, "Can you come home to the funeral?" I said, "No, it's too late."
You know, he said, there's nothing to be done. And "I'm sorry, I can't come, you know."
FELDMAN: But (UNINTELLIGIBLE) when Schwarzenegger was 28 relevant to today? As you might expect, California Democratic Party campaign advisor, Bob Mulholland, says, yes.
BOB MULHOLLAND, CALIFORNIA DEMOCRATIC PARTY CAMPAIGN ADVISER: Absolutely not. If you're going to campaign as a celebrity, you have to be open to the fact that the press and the voters have a right to know what your views were 20 years ago or 30 years ago.
FELDMAN: We talked to Schwarzenegger's top campaign advisor about the comments made in the documentary.
GEORGE GORTON, SCHWARZENEGGER'S CAMPAIGN MANAGER: I don't think he met anything other than the fact that he's interested in people who made a real difference in society. You know, he's interested in them as a matter of fascination. So I don't think there's any problem with that, no.
FELDMAN: Although other politicians, such as Al Gore, have admitted experimenting with various drugs in their youth, Schwarzenegger may be the only one who did it in front of a camera. This scene comes at the end of the film.
Charles Feldman, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
