Arnold Schwarzenegger bit a 'real, dead' vulture on the set of 'Conan the Barbarian': 'PETA would have a field day with that one'
- Arnold Schwarzenegger said he bit a "real, dead" vulture while shooting "Conan the Barbarian."
- The actor also said he was dragged into a thorn bush by wild dogs.
Arnold Schwarzenegger says he bit a dead vulture while shooting the 1982 action movie "Conan the Barbarian."
The actor and former governor of California makes the surprising admission in his new self-help book, "Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life," published Tuesday.
In the book, Schwarzenegger offers readers life lessons through the lens of his lengthy career from bodybuilding to the big screen, as well as what he learned from his time as governor.
Schwarzenegger recalls the grueling experience of filming "Conan the Barbarian" in one section of the book, explaining that the film's director, John Milius, required a very physical performance from him throughout production.
"I learned to ride horses and camels and elephants. I learned how to jump from large rocks, how to climb and swing from long ropes, how to fall from a height," writes "The Terminator" star. "I basically went to another vocational school, this one for aspiring action heroes."
"Then on top of that, Milius had me doing all kinds of terrible shit. I crawled through rocks, take after take, until my forearms bled. I ran from wild dogs that managed to catch me and pull me into a thorn bush," Schwarzenegger continues.
The 76-year-old star goes on to recall having to bite a dead vulture several times for the scene in which Conan is tied to a tree.
"I bit a real, dead vulture that required I wash my mouth out with alcohol after each take. (PETA would have a field day with that one.)," he writes. "On one of the first days of filming, I tore a gash on my back that required forty stitches."
The physical exertion clearly didn't put Schwarzenegger off too much, though, as he returned to film a sequel, "Conan the Destroyer," which was released in 1984.