Arnold Schwarzenegger's views on life and death

Schwarzenegger grew up in a Catholic family in Austria. In 1986, he had a church wedding with Maria Shriver, whose uncle, John Kennedy, was the first Catholic president of the USA. However, the muscular star had an affair with his housekeeper in the 90s, and these moments of "forgetfulness" resulted in a child together.

Currently, Arnold Schwarzenegger considers himself a moderate Republican who supports the right to abortion and the legalisation of partnerships, including same-sex partnerships. On the other hand, as governor of California, he twice vetoed a bill to legalise same-sex marriages.

Schwarzenegger first revealed his views on death and eternal life in an interview with Howard Stern in 2019.

"Unfortunately, death is the one thing we can’t overcome. And I have to say, that [annoys me]," said Arnold. "It reminds me of Howard Stern’s question to me: ‘Tell me, Governor, what happens to us when we die?’ I said, ’Nothing. You’re 6 feet under. Anyone that tells you something else is a liar."

In an interview with "Interview" magazine, 75-year-old Arnold expanded on his thoughts on these non-obvious topics.

"I said, 'We don't know what happens with the soul and all this spiritual stuff that I'm not an expert in, but I know that the body as we see each other now, we will never see each other again like that. When people talk about, 'I will see them again in heaven,' it sounds so good, but the reality is that we won't see each other again after we're gone. That's the sad part. I know people feel comfortable with death, but I don't," summarised Arnold Schwarzenegger.

"To me, heaven is where I put a person who I love dearly, who is kind, who is generous, who made a difference in my life and other people's lives," he said. "I keep them in a spot in my head, like that front row that you have of all of your friends. And you always have a good feeling when you think of them," he concluded.