Arnold Schwarzenegger admits his foray into politics affected his relationship with his children

Arnold Schwarzenegger‘s family life wasn’t as effortless as portrayed during his political career, and having many high-profile jobs didn’t help. While his ripped appearance and magnetic personality made Schwarzenegger a household name, his foray into politics did not endear him to his offspring. 

Schwarzenegger’s children made sure he knew how they felt about his lengthy absences due to his acting and political careers. The former actor and California governor revealed to Entertainment Tonight that his years spent in the public eye have taught him some hard truths about being a working father. Referring to his ex-wife Maria Shriver and their children, he said:

“I had to rely on my wife. But then when I came home, or I was governor for instance, and I traveled all over the state of California, I came home, the kids were crying, ‘Daddy, where were you when I had my recital?’ ‘Where were you when I needed you for my football game?’ and all those kinds of things.”

In his upcoming Netflix series FUBAR, Schwarzenegger plays a CIA operative about to retire but has to return to the field for one more job after learning a family secret. Like with his own family, Schwarzenegger’s character in the new Netflix series must figure out how to balance work and personal responsibilities. The Terminator actor added:

“It’s very tough to think the little bit of what we show in FUBAR. How tough it is to have a professional life and to be successful in that and then to go home and be successful in that. And sometimes you’re not like my character in FUBAR, he has a disastrous home life. Everything is going south, but he is number one at his profession, so it’s comedy, but in real life, it becomes a great tragedy all at the same time.”

FUBAR is an action-packed spy show developed by Nick Santora and produced by Netflix. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Monica Barbaro play a father and daughter who are both secret CIA agents in the show, but none of them know the other’s identity. The premiere episode will air on May 25, 2023.