Arnold Schwarzenegger admires ....

muscle-bound statue of himself set to stand in his home town

He may no longer be the governor of California, but Arnold Scwarzenegger will always be a hero to the residents of his hometown.
The former Mr Universe and Terminator star today inspected a statue of himself in his bodybuilder heyday, approving it for erection in Graz in Austria.
The moulding shows Schwarzenegger striking a typical bodybuilder pose, flexing his muscles and leaning forward.


Double take: Arnold Schwarzenegger admires a larger than life sculpture by artist Ralph Crawford which will stand in his hometown in Austria
Now Schwarzenegger has approved the clay statue it will be cast in bronze and shipped to Graz, where it will form the highpoint of an exhibition dedicated to the town's most famous son.
The star's childhood home has been purchased by a fan and turned into a museum, recreating the interior of his childhood and featuring memorabilia from throughout his life.
Schwarzenegger had an unhappy childhood in the home, rejected by his father who wrongly doubted his parentage.

Austria's son: Arnold Schwarzenegger is now world famous, but still remembers his roots

But the star has embraced the idea of a museum.

'One of the things that we thought would be really great is to have, in front of the house, was the sculpture,' Schwarzenegger told KlewTv station in Idaho.

'Because it was bodybuilding that got me to America. It was the bodybuilding that got me into movies.
'It was the bodybuilding that got me into the governorship. That's where I learned about public service.'


As he was: Schwarzenegger in the 1985 film Commando


The sculpture was carved by Idaho artist Ralph Crawford, who has worked with the star many times before.
Schwarzenegger flew in on a private jet from LAX to Idaho to personally inspect the work.
'His work is renowned all over the world,' the actor said. 'After all these years, thirty years we've been working together, we're still friends.'
And although Schwarzenegger asked for a few changes to be made to the statue, he then approved it for casting.