November 28, 2022
Spitting Image? Joseph Baena Posts Workout Pics that Evoke Famous Dad
READ TIME: 3 MIN.
Joseph Baena continues to follow in his famous dad's footsteps. The 25-year-old actor and fitness influencer posted post Thanksgiving pics that showed his striking resemblance to dad Arnold Schwarzenegger.
"Too much turkey," he joked in his comment; but the buff pics suggested otherwise. "Baena showed no signs of bloat in his brawny pictures, flexing his muscles and showcasing his incredible abs," wrote the Daily Mail.
"Wearing nothing but tiny black gym shorts, Baena curled his left arm and sucked in his stomach, allowing his muscles to do what they do best – bulge," adds the Daily Mail.
The pics come after Baena explained how he had been bullied in high school for his weight, People magazine reports.
It is a sensitive subject tied into his first major film role -- "Bully High," which follows a Pakistani high school exchange student Maryam, played by Aneesha Madhok, who is subjected to bullying and harassment from peers and teachers alike for proudly wearing her hijab at a new school.
"Baena," People writes, "plays class president and baseball player Eddie in the new movie from actor-writer-director Bill McAdams Jr. And appearing in the film triggered similar experiences from his high school days."
"I was bullied when I was a kid, elementary, middle school, and not really in high school, but I just felt like an outsider in high school at the beginning," Baena says, explaining that he was "really overweight from the end of elementary school into the beginning of high school."
"And so, from my closest friends, it wasn't like outside people or people that I didn't know, or popular kids or whatever," Baena says about being bullied as a child. "It was my closest friends that were the ones that bullied me the most and made fun of me for being overweight and all these kind of things."
He adds about the film: "Because it has a really strong message of bullying, obviously, and racism and all these different things that people don't necessarily recognize, but it's always around," he adds. "It's constantly there. So, I think inclusivity, protection, and to take away just the good message that the film brings everyone."
Quadzillaaaaa,' wrote one of Joseph's 400,000 Instagram followers, reports the Daily Mail.
While Joseph currently works as a real estate agent, he has been putting in the footwork to become a working actor like his 'Terminator' dad. In fact, he recently landed his first major role in John Malkovich's upcoming sci-fi film "Chariot."
Earlier this year, Joseph told Men's Health that he was eventually able to connect with his father over their shared love for bodybuilding and fitness.
The pair are often seen pumping iron together in Los Angeles and Baena even dressed up like Arnold's iconic hero Conan the Barbarian for "Dancing with the Stars," He was eliminated in October during the Prom Night competition, ET reported, with his mom, Mildred Baena, in the audience. She is s the former California governor's former housekeeper. The relationship ultimately contributed to the infamous breakup between Schwarzenegger and his wife of 25 years, Maria Shriver, 67.
Asked about using his famous dad's influence to get ahead in Hollywood, Baena said "My dad is old school. He doesn't believe in handouts. He believes hard work pays off, and so do I. 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?"
