Arnold Schwarzenegger

The Austrian born action-star launched his film career with an almost silent performance in 'Hercules in New York', but found he had problems continuing his career as a star, because people didn't understand his voice.

He said: "I wanted to be a leading man. But it was not just that I had an accent, it was a German accent and in America that was scary.

"In tests, 60 per cent of people said, 'This person scares the s**t out of me when he talks!' They wanted to cast me as a bouncer or Nazi officer. Hollywood is like that, they don't get very creative. They won't go against the obvious or try to go another way.

"Except when you become a star - then they would do whatever you demand."

The musclebound actor refused to be typecast and with a lot of hard work won roles in action movie classics such as 'Terminator' and 'Predator' as well as comedy in 'Twins' with Danny DeVito.

Arnold took time off from Hollywood as he embarked on a political career, eventually becoming Governor of California between 2003 and 2011, but while he is now returning to movies, he is easing himself in slowly.
He added to Empire magazine: "All these projects are appealing because they give me the chance to slowly come back rather than rush into it.

"I like the idea of starting again, but trying to come back halfway down and working my way slowly back up again. So that's the idea, to do more personal stories and ensemble pieces."

Arnold's first proper role will be as a supermax lifer at the world's toughest prison alongside Sylvester Stallone in 'The Tomb'.