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Months before Arnold Schwarzenegger would redefine the action landscape following his collaboration with James Cameron, the actor joined forces with NBA icon Wilt Chamberlain. After years of struggling to make it big in Hollywood after he parted ways with the realm of bodybuilding, it was 1982’sConan the Barbarianthat gave Schwarzenegger’s career a massive boost.
But while the rated R movie made a major buzz at the box office, what followed was a watered-down sequel, which witnessedThe TerminatorStar starring alongside Wilt Chamberlain.
Also read:Arnold Schwarzenegger Loved to Do One Thing For His Godlike Physique That Terrifies Many Modern-day Bodybuilders
It Didn’t Take Long for Arnold Schwarzenegger and Wilt Chamberlain to Get Along
1984’sConan the Destroyerwas another case of an inferior sequel that was a far cry from what made the original work. In an effort to the younger demographic, it strayed away from the R rating, making it more swashbuckling than its predecessor, eventually failing at the box office, witnessing a lower return than the first one. But not everything about the movie was a miss, as it witnessed probably the greatest name in the NBA, Wilt Chamberlain, who was many of the non-actors that starred in the action-adventure.
But whileConan the Destroyerdid little to elevateArnold Schwarzenegger‘s career like the first one did, he did find a great friend in Chamberlain during their time together in the movie. And despite being a force of nature himself and having 6 Mr. Olympia titles under his belt, even Schwarzenegger was impressed by his costar, who played Bombaata, the movie’s antagonist in the movie. In hisautobiography, he explained:
“He took a whole stack of weights on the Universal Gym and did triceps extensions with 240 pounds like it was nothing.”
ThePredatorStar also recalled their time on Muscle Beach in Santa Monica, where apart from engaging in Volleyball, Chamberlain would visit for romantic indulgences.
Also read:Bench-Pressing 400 lbs While in a Competition With Rival Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Gym Partner Gave Sylvester Stallone Major Injury and His Most Distinct Body Feature
Wilt Chamberlain Once Doubled Down on His Bold Claim
While it was his prowess as a basketball player that launched him to the top, it was the late NBA legend’s s-x life that kept fans curious, especially after his comments about sleeping with 20000 women. Although many analysts and fans refuse to take Wilt Chamberlain’s word for it, as 20000 is a ridiculously huge number, theConan the DestroyerStar doubled down on his comments. Hesaid,
“I’m not boasting… I don’t see all this lovemaking as any kind of conquest. All I’m saying is that I like women, people are curious about my s*x life, and to most people, the number of women who have come and gone through my bedrooms – and various hotel rooms around the country – would boggle the mind.”
Also read:Arnold Schwarzenegger Returning to Make Twins 2 With Danny DeVito? New Comment Sparks up an Internet Firestorm
Although it can’t be said for sure if his claims were true or not, unfortunately, his success in the realm of the NBA and bed didn’t translate to acting, as his only movie failed to bring in the numbers.
Conan the Destroyeris available to rent on Apple TV.
Santanu Roy
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2543
Santanu Roy is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on movies, with over 2,000 articles under his belt. He has been pursuing a degree in Animation and possesses a deep love for the medium of animation. Having spent the better part of the last two years pumping out articles for FW, Santanu excels at covering movie analysis and news surrounding Pixar, DCU, DreamWorks, and Batman’s cinematic legacy.With psychological thrillers and intimate slice-of-life dramas ranking among his favorite genres, Santanu is a big admirer of Luca Guadagnino, Shane Black, Park Chan-wook, and Brad Bird.
