Arnold Schwarzenegger's Son Explains Why He Doesn't Use His Dad's Surname
One of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s sons has revealed why doesn't use his father’s surname.
While Katherine, Christina, Patrick and Christopher have all taken on the Schwarzenegger name, their half-brother Joseph Baena has decided to stick with his mother’s.
Baena is the son of the Terminator star and his former housekeeper Mildred Baena, who was reportedly pregnant with her son when Schwarzenegger’s ex-wife Maria Shriver was expecting their fourth child – a revelation that didn’t emerge until 2011.
Now aged 24, Baena has forged himself a career in real estate after recently getting his licence, and is also an aspiring actor.
However, he doesn’t want to use his dad’s name to help him get ahead, simply saying he likes his current name.
Speaking to Inside Edition, Baena was asked why he doesn’t use his ‘famous last name’, to which he replied: "Well I already have a last name, and I don't have a problem with my last name.
"I like my last name."
Baena then went on to discuss his hopes to get into acting, with reporter Victoria Recano asking if he feels like he has ‘big shoes to fill’, given his father’s reputation in Hollywood.
"Well, literally we have the same shoe size,” Baena quipped, adding: "I've never thought of it in that way. My career path is really just my own."
While Baena said the media has ‘always been in [his] face’, he said he tries to ‘drown it out’, saying it's just ‘outside noise’ to him.
He said he also just wants to make both of his parents ‘proud’, and that he feels inspired by both of them.
"My mom is one of my main motivators, and seeing her and how she works so hard, I want to make her proud," he continued.
"Same with my father. What he made of himself from nothing. I mean, both of my parents are immigrants that kind of created something out of nothing.”
Baena added: "So, seeing them, it's been a huge inspiration, and I want to make them proud.
"I want to myself proud."
Topics: Celebrity, Arnold Schwarzenegger
Jess Hardiman