He might have spent 40 years living the dream as one of the most recognizable stars in Hollywood – which of course came after he’d secured his place in bodybuilding folklore as arguably the greatest and definitely the most famous there’s ever been – but Arnold Schwarzenegger still hasn’t forgotten where he came from.
Even though his current estimated net worth is said to be around the $400 million mark, the Austrian Oak grew up as part of a poor family in his native Austria, before going on to carve out one of the most remarkable life stories you’re ever likely to hear. However, his vast success and enormous wealth hasn’t seen him lose touch with the friends he’s had since childhood, with Schwarzenegger even going out of his way to ensure they remain in contact.
In an interview with CBS, the star of Netflix’s chart-topping series FUBAR admitted that he’s determined to stay close with the people who knew him before he was the monolithic pop culture presence he ultimately became, which is endearingly wholesome when you consider he shelled out to buy a bunch of guys in their 70s an iPhone.
“I bought them an iPhone so we can talk every week. And we have the greatest time laughing about it, talking about the good old days, and what we are doing now. And the funny thing is also, it’s kind of like, the health problems, because when you get older, you talk more about that than when you are young. And so, this is the kind of stuff that we end up talking a lot of times, when we talk about health issues. That’s funny, you know, when you get to be 75.”
Maintaining friendships as an adult is a task that becomes more arduous with each passing year, but if Schwarzenegger can do it halfway across the world at the age of 75, then maybe it’s time to pick up that phone and get in touch with one of your nearest and dearest.