Tom Arnold Says Son Has Poster of 'True Lies' Costar Arnold Schwarzenegger in His Room (Exclusive)

Nigel Smith
·2 min read
1

"Once you get over the fact he's your friend, he's pretty inspirational," Tom Arnold says of his friend and True Lies costar Arnold Schwarzenegger

Jason Merritt/Getty
Jason Merritt/Getty

Tom Arnold isn't the only one in his family who looks up to Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The actor and comedian, who makes a cameo in the CBS series True Lies (based on his hit 1994 film with his friend Schwarzenegger), tells PEOPLE his son Jax, 10, "has an Arnold Schwarzenegger poster" in his bedroom.

"Once you get over the fact he's your friend, he's pretty inspirational," Arnold says of the Terminator star, whom he's remained close with since making True Lies together.

Written and directed by James Cameron, True Lies starred Schwarzenegger as Harry Tasker, a family man who secretly works as a secret agent for the United States. Arnold played his partner, agent Albert "Gib" Gibson in the action film.

Now, nearly 30 years later, Arnold, 64, will soon appear in the April 26 episode of Cameron's TV adaptation on CBS. "Of course I wanted to be a part of it," Arnold says.

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Related:Tom Arnold Reveals How He Lost 75 Lbs. After Suffering Mini Stroke: 'I Made Exercise a Ritual'

Further praising Schwarzenegger, Arnold calls his friend "a solid" in Hollywood. "He's out filling in potholes," he jokes, referencing when Schwarzenegger recently filmed himself filling two potholes in his Los Angeles neighborhood.

"Arnold and I do a lot of charity stuff together, which is another thing I've learned from him which is, you've got to do that stuff. You have to give back," adds Arnold. "You have to be of service, or the other stuff doesn't mean anything. And I certainly got a lot of self-esteem and different things from honoring that commitment."

In addition to Jax, Arnold also shares daughter Quinn, 7 with ex-wife Ashley Groussman. After suffering a mini-stroke last year, he says it's his kids who keep him going.

"I need to live as long as I can because every day with these kids is an opportunity for something good."

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