Fans concerned by sighting of action legend Arnold Schwarzenegger

He’s arguably the most iconic action hero in cinema history – but at 77, it seems age might be catching up with Arnold Schwarzenegger.

A new sighting of legendary action man Arnold Schwarzenegger on the streets of New York has some fans worried – but all is not what it seems.

The Terminator star, 77, was filmed surrounded by bodyguards as he walked along a New York street, his beard and hair grey.

One account on X that posted the footage declared that Schwarzenegger appeared to have “aged 200 years in 2 months.”
While Schwarzenegger does appear to be moving a little slower nowadays – understandable for a man just a few years off his 80th birthday – his appearance can at least be partly explained by his latest role: He was in costume for the upcoming Christmas film The Man With The Bag, a movie that will see him play Santa Claus.

Still, even given he was in costume for a role, celeb-watchers on X observed that the super-fit star was “definitely slowing down.”

“The way he is walking suggests his 77 years are catching up to him,” one fan wrote.

The new movie role caps off a dramatic year for Schwarzenegger, who started 2024 being detained by customs at Munich airport for failing to declare an expensive watch.

The Guardian reported at the time that the Audemars Piguet watch is worth €26,000 ($43,000), and that Schwarzenegger was planning to sell it at an auction to raise funds for his climate crisis charity.

Action star Arnold Schwarzenegger spotted in New York …

… and on stage in April this year. Picture: Ivan Apfel/Getty

Arnold Schwarzenegger debuts his Santa Claus look on the Manhattan set of ‘The Man with the Bag’. Picture: T.JACKSON / BACKGRID

The watch was found when officials searched Schwarzenegger’s luggage. He had allegedly not declared the watch on his arrivals customs form.

“We have initiated criminal proceedings under tax law. The watch should have been registered because it is an import,” a Customs spokesman said.

Several weeks ago came another headline-making drama: Police responded to a potential bomb threat at his Los Angeles-area home over Thanksgiving.

Los Angeles Police Department sources told TMZ that they got a call tipping them off about a bomb that was allegedly placed in Schwarzenegger’s mailbox. They swarmed the property but did not find any explosive devices.

Schwarzenegger himself was unaware of the potential threat – he was getting a workout in when the police search unfolded.

Originally published as Fans concerned by sighting of action legend Arnold Schwarzenegger