According to Arnold Schwarzenegger, heaven doesn't exist–and he's sticking to that belief.
The Terminator action star was interviewed by his Twins co-star Danny DeVito for Interview magazine. Schwarzenegger maintained heaven was merely "a fantasy" and anyone who said otherwise is “a f'king liar.”
Schwarzenegger was being interviewed by his longtime colleague and friend to promote his TV series debut in the Netflix family spy series FUBAR.
The former costars covered a variety of topics, including Schwarzenegger's dedication to weightlifting, a newfound appreciation of classical music, and philosophy–more specifically, the lack of any sort of afterlife.
\u201cArnold Schwarzenegger Says Heaven Is a 'Fantasy': 'We Won\u2019t See Each Other Again After We\u2019re Gone'\u201d— People (@People) 1686090000
The spiritual subject came up when DeVito brought up a global concern over clean water shortage.
He asked the former California Governor:
"I worry about what’s going on in the world with water, because we’re running out of it."
"What’s in the future for us? What do you think, in terms of our species?"
"Are we going to last? Tell me, oh great leader."
Schwarzenegger said he was reminded of the time Howard Stern asked him a similar question.
He quoted the radio personality and comedian asking:
"Tell me, governor, what happens to us when we die?”
Schwarzenegger had replied:
“Nothing. You’re 6 feet under. Anyone that tells you something else is a f'king liar.”
His comments sparked a spirited debate where online reactions were evenly split–with one camp having faith...
\u201cKeep God in Y\u2019all life do what\u2019s right and I know the rest will fall in place in the afterlife or the present!\u201d— Raphousetv (RHTV) (@Raphousetv (RHTV)) 1686081486
\u201c@raphousetv2\u201d— Raphousetv (RHTV) (@Raphousetv (RHTV)) 1686081486
\u201c@raphousetv2 Damn. I respected this man so much. I still do. But I disagree\u201d— Raphousetv (RHTV) (@Raphousetv (RHTV)) 1686081486
\u201c@raphousetv2 Death makes him uncomfortable to talk about because he really doesn\u2019t know where he is going after he dies. I understand but it\u2019s not too late for him to get a revelation from God about his soul \ud83d\udcaf\u201d— Raphousetv (RHTV) (@Raphousetv (RHTV)) 1686081486
\u201c@raphousetv2 How would he know ?\u201d— Raphousetv (RHTV) (@Raphousetv (RHTV)) 1686081486
\u201c@raphousetv2 He talking like he died before and came back\u201d— Raphousetv (RHTV) (@Raphousetv (RHTV)) 1686081486
...and another camp agreeing with the assumption that there was no good place.
\u201c@raphousetv2\u201d— Raphousetv (RHTV) (@Raphousetv (RHTV)) 1686081486
\u201c@raphousetv2 My guy speaking facts\u201d— Raphousetv (RHTV) (@Raphousetv (RHTV)) 1686081486
\u201c@raphousetv2 He not lying \ud83d\udc40\u201d— Raphousetv (RHTV) (@Raphousetv (RHTV)) 1686081486
\u201c@raphousetv2 He\u2019s right. Most people live their lives with false hopes for the next. So they live a dissatisfied, thinking something better is coming instead of building and experiencing heaven on earth. So they experience hell. \n\nAs if God would give you the gift of life to waste as a \u201ctest\u201d\u201d— Raphousetv (RHTV) (@Raphousetv (RHTV)) 1686081486
People shared their own unique views on what comes next.
\u201c@raphousetv2 Heaven is a wavelength. A frequency one can achieve while living on earth. So is Hell\u201d— Raphousetv (RHTV) (@Raphousetv (RHTV)) 1686081486
\u201c@raphousetv2 Our spirits are our energy. The Energy needs somewhere to go after we die and we return back to the atmosphere which we were created! Your body dies never the soul I believe!!\u201d— Raphousetv (RHTV) (@Raphousetv (RHTV)) 1686081486
\u201c@raphousetv2 Heaven and hell is a state of mind. It has nothing to do with whats in the sky or some fire in the ground. Losing a loved one can be hell. Getting a new house can be heaven. Its all in perspective.\u201d— Raphousetv (RHTV) (@Raphousetv (RHTV)) 1686081486
In response, DeVito told Schwarzenegger he doesn't know.
To which Schwarzenegger recalled responding to Stern with:
“We don’t know what happens with the soul and all this spiritual stuff that I’m not an expert in, but I know that the body as we see each other now, we will never see each other again like that.”
When DeVito clarified "We deteriorate," Schwarzenegger continued:
"Except in some fantasy."
"When people talk about, 'I will see them again in heaven,' it sounds so good, but the reality is that we won’t see each other again after we’re gone."
"That’s the sad part. I know people feel comfortable with death, but I don’t."
\u201c@raphousetv2 I think he doesn\u2019t like the idea of a place he can\u2019t \u201cbe back\u201d from!\u201d— Raphousetv (RHTV) (@Raphousetv (RHTV)) 1686081486
Schwarzenegger then revealed his soft side while explaining why he wasn't comfortable with death.
"Because I will f'king miss the sh*t out of everything," he said, adding:
"To sit with you here, that will one day be gone?"
"And to have fun and to go to the gym and to pump up, to ride my bike on the beach, to travel around, to see interesting things all over the world."
"What the f'k?"
In addition to FUBAR, Schwarzenegger is also featured in a three-part docuseries about his life called Arnold–which premiered on Wednesday and is streaming on Netflix.
A segment of the docuseries revealed Schwarzenegger confessed during therapy to his then-wife Maria Shriver that he had a secret son with their housekeeper Mildred Baena while he was still married to Shriver.
Baena and Schwarzenegger's son Joseph Baena is now 25.
Schwarzenegger and Shriver–who married in 1986–split in 2011 after she confronted him and discovered the affair.