Joseph Baena explains why he doesn't use his dad Arnold Schwarzenegger's last name: 'He doesn't believe in handouts'

• Joseph Baena opened up about his relationship with his dad, Arnold Schwarzenegger, in an interview.
• "My dad is old-school; he doesn't believe in handouts," Baena said of his famous father.

Joseph Baena said his dad, Arnold Schwarzenegger, "doesn't believe in handouts" in a recent interview with Men's Health.

"My dad is old-school; he doesn't believe in handouts," the 24-year-old said. "He believes hard work pays off, and so do I."

According to Baena, he doesn't rely on his dad's contacts in the entertainment industry when auditioning for roles.

"I love the word honor, and I'm very prideful in the sense that if I use my dad's contacts or ask him for favors, I wonder what honor is that gonna bring me?" Baena told Men's Health.

When he goes to auditions, the aspiring bodybuilder added, casting directors don't know who he is, since he doesn't use Schwarzenegger's last name.

"I know it's all me," Baena said of using his own name to secure jobs.

Elsewhere in the interview, Baena spoke about the time his father's identity was leaked to the press.

"I remember the day very vividly. I was in the eighth grade," Baena said. "And I get called out of class to leave. And my mom's there, and she's like, 'We gotta go — everyone is finding out about you and who your father is.'"

Baena said being a teenager — he was 13 at the time — made the experience even more difficult.

"Your body's transforming; your mind is transforming. And now my life transformed before my eyes," Baena said of the emotional time.

Born in 1997, Baena is the son of Schwarzenegger and Mildred, who used to work as the family's housekeeper.

Schwarzenegger's affair with Mildred remained hidden until the day after the "Terminator" star left office as the governor of California in 2011. Following the revelation, Schwarzenegger's then-wife, Maria Shriver, filed for divorce from the actor.

Schwarzenegger has four other children with Shriver: Katherine, 32; Christina, 30; Patrick, 28; and Christopher, 24.