‘I cannot roll the clock back’: Arnold Schwarzenegger gets honest about improving himself after accusations of groping women

In recent years Arnold Schwarzenegger has been known for his humanitarian work and support for democracy and marginalized people in the face of an increasingly radical and regressive Republican Party. However, the famous weightlifter-turned-superstar actor, like many other stars, doesn’t exactly have the best history when it comes to how he’s treated women in the past — although at least he’s actually owned up to his mistakes.

In a recent far-ranging interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he once again addressed the stories that came out in 2018 about him “stepping over the line” when it came to how he interacted women, especially in his action star heyday. Although the interview was mostly focused on his upcoming Netflix action-comedy FUBAR, the three-part documentary on his life the streaming service is also producing, and his new self-help book Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life, there were plenty of moments where the Austrian powerhouse must have been on the back foot thanks to what was covered.

When the reporter asked how the actor and former politician squared his public image as a good guy with that uncomfortable and potentially criminal past, Schwarzenegger was very candid:

“I think it’s very easy to understand. We are not perfect. We try to be, but there’s only one that’s perfect — God. My mouth is great, but it gets me into trouble. My brain is great — it has the will to make a better world — but sometimes I fuck up. I make mistakes. I behaved badly. All of those things I’ve addressed in the past. I feel bad about it. But I cannot roll the clock back. I have to be careful and be wiser. I’m smarter. I’m more sensitive about other people’s feelings.”

Sexual abuse has been rampant in Hollywood for decades, and was once a common feature of any female star’s experience. As we saw with Harvey Weinstein as the #MeToo scandal broke, we are still in a time when assault and sexual coercion for roles happens. Schwarzenegger was also asked about that in terms of his past transgressions, with the reporter enquiring if somebody had pointed out his bad behaviour at the time. The Austrain replied:

“No one said anything. Look, the bottom line is that even though the times were different, it doesn’t matter if it was 100 years ago or today. You have to treat women with respect and you have to treat people with respect. None of it is an excuse. I should have behaved better.”

When asked what had led to the change in his behaviors and attitudes toward women, the former governor mentioned his time in office, as well as generally just getting older:

“I just think as time goes on, you just become wiser. You start thinking more about other people and not just about yourself. Not just what’s fun for you, not just what makes you look ballsy. … Also — and this is hard to explain to someone who has never had this experience — but once you’ve been in the governor’s office for seven years, you see all the problems out there and all the hardships. It turns you from a ‘me’ person to a ‘we’ person. You become much more aware of what’s going on around you. And then all of a sudden when you walk away, you say, ‘I’ve got to continue with the policy stuff. We’ve got to fight for the environment. We’ve got to fight for redistricting reform.’ And to speak out about the war.”

He then went on to speak about the current California governor, Gavin Newsom, as well as the war in Ukraine.

While it’s admirable to see Arnie admit his mistakes and talk about them so publicly in a way that hopefully makes other men think twice about their actions, it still shows that so-called cancel culture really doesn’t have many actual tangible effects on most famous men. The fact the Austrian was only asked a few questions about it in a long, in-depth article also goes to show just how easily even big publications like THR can sweep things under the rug by giving them a cursory amount of coverage.

However, in the grand scheme of things there are definitely worse men out there than Schwarzenegger, which is a depressing win but one we’ll have to take for now.