Celebrity documentaries are all the rage these days, and as a recent New York Magazine article points out (a fantastic, must-read), in a feature article about the “murky ethics” in the growing doc and doc series explosion of the last few years, a lot of celeb docs are executive produced by the subject themselves and becoming something of vanity puff pieces or doc infomercials for the subject. But “Arnold,” the new Netflix doc about the legendary Arnold Schwarzenegger, does not list Schwarzenegger as any kind of producer, exec or otherwise, which hopefully bodes well (though you sometimes never know what goes beyond the scenes, he could still have a say or final cut as many do with celeb docs).
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Schwarzenegger has a fascinating story. While some might view him as the dumb Austrian Oak who parlayed his body-building career into an iconic action acting career, another more generous interpretation is a self-starting immigrant who, through will, determination, and might, landed himself on the world stage and might have been the last of a generation to fulfill the fading notion of the American dream.
Schwarzenegger’s been a world-class body builder, a legendary action star, the Former Governor of California, and he seems to have evolved well into the age of empathy. “Arnold” is an intimate look inside the life and career of Arnold Schwarzenegger, pulling back the curtain like never before, according to Netflix.
Here’s the official synopsis:
This three-part documentary series chronicles never before seen footage & stories of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s journey from rural Austria to the highest echelons of the American dream. In the series, there’s unprecedented access to the most candid interviews from Schwarzenegger, his friends, foes, co-stars, and observers. We see many talk about his days pumping iron to his triumphs in Hollywood, all the way to his time governing the state of California. The joys and the turbulence of his family life are unveiled in a tale that matches his larger-than-life persona.
From the team that brought you “The Defiant Ones” (Allen Hughes, Peter Nelson, Lesley Chilcott, Paul Wachter, Doug Pray), the doc is directed by Lesley Chilcott (“Helter Skelter: An American Myth”), the three-part doc debuts June 7, 2023, on Netflix. Chapter one centers on the athlete, chapter two on the actor, and the third act focuses on Arnold the American. It looks and sounds rather fascinating. Check out the trailer for “Arnold” below.