Arnold Schwarzenegger Is Barely Recognizable With Gray Hair

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Arnold Schwarzenegger has long been associated with the hunky, Hollywood persona he's flaunted throughout his endless string of high-stakes action movies (most famously the "Terminator" franchise). However, the actor and former head honcho of California popped up in December 2024 contrasting the muscle-bound hero, and sometimes villain, fans have come to love. Instead, he was sporting a head and beard full of gray hair, along with scraggly salt and pepper eyebrows to match. Of course, his cheesy Christmas sweater only underlined Schwarzenegger's stunning transformation. "Wow it's almost as if he's closer to 80 than 30. I forget, people on social media think they are perfect and will never age," tweeted one fan, who didn't appreciate the online negativity that followed.

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Although Schwarzenegger was in his late 70s at the time the photo above was taken, his appearance was still a little misleading. You see, it came from the set of his Christmas movie titled "The Man With The Bag," which was in production. Deadline even announced Schwarzenegger's involvement in March 2024. The politician took on a more mature likeness because he had been cast as Santa. As for the plot which caused all of the confusion? Well, according to the film's logline, which Deadline published, Santa Claus enlists the special talents of a known thief to help him retrieve his magic bag, which has been stolen. 

Unfortunately, while the actor was recouping his magic goodies onscreen, he was losing a few cool points off screen.

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Arnold Schwarzenegger may not be one of the celebs who looks the same as he did as a teen, but social media should probably ease up on him (and not just because the aging process will eventually come for everyone). Instead, the star has been quite open about his frustration surrounding his aging figure. "When you have been hailed for years as this supreme body, and you have the definition and you see the veins coming down to your abs ... and now you cut and you roll the clock forward 50 years, and now you're standing there and you don't see that anymore, so that's kind of like, 'Wow," he said on "The Howard Stern Show" in October 2023. "I never, ever thought about that when I was like 30 years old or 40 years old ... that one time we're going to look at this body ... it just sucks!"

Earlier that year, in May, Schwarzenegger sat down with The Hollywood Reporter and expounded on his feelings about aging and his physique in his 70s. "Nothing!" Schwarzenegger said when asked to name a positive thing about his current body. "My whole life I look at the mirror and see the best-built man, and all of a sudden I see a bunch of crap. It's terrible!" Citing wrinkles under his eyes and pecs, he continued, "You see the f***ing ... budle," which he explained is "Austrian for your stomach sticking out. Where the f*** did that come from? It's not pleasurable." 

Despite his aversion to the aging process, the star hasn't tried to unnaturally extend his life like some of his rich peers. "The only thing you can do is the old-fashioned stuff," Schwarzenegger shared. "I could wipe out earlier because I smoke cigars, but then it gets counter-balanced by me eating well and then exercising."