Arnold Schwarzenegger Had To Bite Something Disgusting In Conan The Barbarian

Universal Pictures

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"Hercules in New York," Arnold Schwarzenegger's worst-rated movie on IMDb, is widely regarded as an all-time stinker, but at least the actor didn't have to eat any dead animals for his maligned acting debut. Conversely, one of Schwarzenegger's best movies of all time, 1982's "Conan the Barbarian," was a nightmare to shoot — a hellish experience that required the star to bite into a deceased vulture while filming an unforgettable scene. What's more, it wasn't the only unpleasant moment the actor had to endure while bringing John Milius' cinematic interpretation of Robert E. Howard's barbaric pulp universe to life.

In the scene, Arnie's Conan finds himself being crucified on a tree and having to fight off ravenous birds with his mouth — all the while scorching in the desert sun. Well, it turns out that Schwarzenegger had to fight off the birds that way for real (sort of), as he recalled in his book "Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life." In his own words:

"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). On one of the first days of filming, I tore a gash on my back that required 40 stitches."

Despite having to feast on a dead bird, the "Terminator" star noted that the overall experience enabled him to learn new skills, such as riding horses, camels, and elephants. In fact, making "Conan the Barbarian" was the ultimate action movie star training course, but the vulture-biting incidents weren't the only negative experiences Schwarzenegger faced during the shoot.

Universal Pictures

"Conan the Barbarian" put Arnold Schwarzenegger on the map and paved the way for him to star in some of the best action movies of all time — "The Terminator," "Commando," and "Predator," to name a few. At the same time, the John Milius-directed fantasy epic almost came at a cost to the big man's health and well-being, as he revealed in the aforementioned book:

"Milius had me doing all kinds of terrible s**t. 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."

Between biting vultures and trying to escape the wrath of canines, it seems that Schwarzenegger didn't have the best experience with animals while shooting "Conan the Barbarian." However, the incidents didn't discourage him from returning for the sequel, "Conan the Destroyer" (which wasn't directed by Milius, as Richard Fleischer took over the reins for the follow-up). Be that as it may, Schwarzenegger still wants to make the long-gestating "King Conan" sequel, as he feels that Robert E. Howard's fantasy universe boasts strong franchise potential. But let's just hope he doesn't have to eat anything questionable or put his life at risk for that dream to become a reality.