An Austrian bodybuilder finds success in America BORN TO RUN IN HOLLYWOOD born to play the part is a handy little phrase, designed to illustrate instances when an actor fits his role to a T. But it’s rarely accurate. For example, it’s been written time and again that Humphrey Bogart was “born” to play Rick Blaine in Casablanca, as if he were already an American expat running a café in French Morocco when he caught the casting director’s attention. No, the expression is often a misnomer, a hyperbolic statement erroneously used to illustrate an actor’s virtuosity. Except in the case of Roland Kickinger. That’s because Roland seemingly was born to play Arnold Schwarzenegger. And now he has his chance. ROLAND'S VOTE Backstage at the 2003 Mr. Olympia contest, rumours of a TV movie chronicling Arnold’s improbable rise to political stardom swirled about as freely as the pungent scent of ProTan. While speculation abounded as to the tack the biopic would take, everyone agreed that the casting director had an obvious choice for a young Arnold. After all, when it comes to casting for the part of a tall Austrian bodybuilder-turned-actor, it doesn’t hurt to have a tall Austrian bodybuilder-turned-actor at your disposal. Former IFBB pro and Son of the Beach star Roland Kickinger had been compared to Arnold in bodybuilding magazines for nearly a decade when word of the film leaked. In fact, pretty much everyone between Hollywood and Muscle Beach figured that Roland’s involvement in the project was already a done deal. Everyone, that is, except Roland. It’s not that he didn’t want to portray his boyhood idol. On the contrary: growing up as an aspiring bodybuilder in Vienna, Roland barely even dreamed of one day meeting, much less playing, Arnold. But he was all too aware of the broad strokes with which Hollywood has traditionally painted bodybuilders: either as buffoons good only for comic relief or monosyllabic heavies. He had also watched the steady stream of antagonists and accusers attempt to roadblock Arnold’s campaign for governor of California. Despite his landslide victory in the race, it was still open season on the new governor for many, and Roland was determined not to provide any further Arnold-related media fodder. The actual call came in March 2004, six months after the rumour-mill began churning. Producer Michael Goldstein asked Roland if he’d meet with him and writer Max Dorff to discuss their latest project, See Arnold Run, a docudrama for A&E Television Networks focusing on Arnold’s campaign, with flashbacks to his bodybuilding days to illustrate their impact on his personal development. Goldstein and Dorff knew they couldn’t get away with using padded suits or CGI tricks to turn an ordinary actor into the world’s most renowned bodybuilder. They needed a real bodybuilder who was a good enough actor to carry a film on his broad shoulders. The fact that one existed was a blessing. That he happened to have a natural Austrian accent was a godsend. After a half-hour pitch they sent Roland home, script in hand. “I loved it,” Roland recalls. “It was professionally written and very motivational. I immediately saw it as a great opportunity to portray my largest inspiration in a way that would be respectful to him.” Any misgivings he may have had back in October disappeared faster than protein bar samples at an Olympia Expo. Roland Kickinger immediately signed on for the role of his lifetime. THE LINE-UP The team scheduled production for See Arnold Run to begin in late July 2004 in San Diego. With their lead secured, they turned to filling the roles of Arnold’s bodybuilding friends and competitors. Set to play Arnold’s best friend and competitive adversary, Franco Columbu, was top amateur competitor Mike Ergas. In the role of Lou Ferrigno, they cast IFBB pro Bob Cicherillo, sporting a handsome pair of lambchop sideburns grown just for the occasion. The 2004 NPC USA super-heavyweight champ, Chris Cook, was slated to portray “The Blond Bomber”, Dave Draper, and actor Nick Stellate was chosen as three-time Mr. Olympia Frank Zane. The film’s producers had already secured the real Frank Zane to ensure the ultimate in verisimilitude both during script rewriting and the filming process. While Roland was a the obvious choice to play the young Arnold from early on, the producers decided to cast someone else as elder statesman Arnold. German actor Jurgen Prochnow of Das Boot fame got the nod, and with Mariel Hemingway playing the role of California’s first lady and former TV journalist Maria Shriver, the cameras began rolling. “The film focuses on Arnold’s run for governor but also features the period in his life from 1973–1980, which was important in shaping the person he would later become,” says Roland. “We show him competing in the Mr. Olympia contests and getting into acting. We cover his bitter break-up with Barbara [Outland, Arnold’s first serious girlfriend], because without that he probably never would’ve met Maria. We also show him dealing with the tragedy of his dad dying, which is quite a sad scene. “This film explores a side of Arnold we’re not used to seeing,” Roland continues. “The public side of him is this really confident, motivational human being. But, like anyone else, he’s had his doubts. He was able to overcome the doubts to move forward, and we show how he did that. We’re so used to seeing him playing superhero roles and comedy roles that we lose sight of the fact that he’s a human being with emotions, with heart. I did my best to bring this out for everyone to see.” CONDITIONED RESPONSE Born in Vienna the same year Arnold immigrated into America, Roland discovered bodybuilding in his early teens and developed a world-class physique by 1994, the year he won the Austrian National Championships and gained professional status as a bodybuilder. Like his idol Arnold, the 6'4" Roland was often the tallest competitor onstage. Still, he managed to fill out his long frame with up to 300 pounds of diamond-hard muscle during his pro career. Although retired from bodybuilding competition for more than four years when the See Arnold Run call came, Roland kept within striking distance of his peak form for his role in the US TV comedy series Son of the Beach as well as the steady stream of advertising offers landing on his desk. So it was merely a matter of returning to the gym with the vigour he displayed during his competitive days, just as Arnold did each time he took on a new action role. “I approached the training as I did when preparing for a bodybuilding show,” Roland confirms. “Even when we were shooting at 6 a.m. I would get up early to do my morning training, and then when we were done filming I would do my evening training. Plus, I would do cardio twice a day. I even had my George Foreman grill on the set with me. I took my preparations very seriously.” So seriously, in fact, that he built himself back up to a lean 265 pounds — 30 more than Arnold’s competitive weight, but still crafted to fit the genre. “My goal was to achieve the same kind of look that guys had back in the ’70s,” says Roland. “It wasn’t all about extreme cuts and mass; it had more to do with symmetry. I was able to achieve that look by eating really clean, using my Weider protein and vitamin supplements and doing a lot of hard work in the gym.” LOFTY EXPECTATIONS As the film neared completion, The Oak again commanded the world’s attention, this time for his stirring speech at the Republican National Convention in New York City. With his trademark charisma in overdrive, he singlehandedly imbued a normally staid, predictable affair with a dash of vitality. It was, in essence, the first speech of what could one day blossom into a full-blown presidential campaign, if all the requisite pieces fall into place. Before such a look forward, however, it can’t hurt to look back. See Arnold Run aims to provide a clearer picture of the man behind the icon. Perhaps it’ll reveal more of the inspiration and heart that comprise this force of nature and the very humanity he at times seems able to transcend. After all, as Roland may have been destined to play his boyhood idol on-screen, Arnold himself might just have been born for the role of U.S. president. At least one thing is clear — when it comes to Arnold, no dream is too far out of reach. M&F Shawn Perine is a writer and graphic designer living in Los Angeles. He is a senior writer at flex magazine and publishes the bodybuilding website ironage.us.

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