Arnold Schwarzenegger, George Michael and why these ‘girly men’ gave us great blueprints for masculinity in 2023

You couldn’t get more different ‘blokes’ than singer George Michael and Arnold Schwarzenegger, but as their new TV shows highlight they approach life in a similar way.

New show Arnold invokes a nostalgia for a time when famous people could carry on without the risk of being cancelled. Picture: Getty Images

The spectrum of masculinity is a beautiful thing to behold. On television right now, anyway.

It seems to be a theme running through recent productions featuring the men we grew up watching and idolising, the men who occasionally made us cringe. These are the men who have left an indelible mark on culture.

You couldn’t get more different “blokes” than Wham! duo George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley and action star Arnold Schwarzenegger. All three are the focus of ­behind-the-curtain documentaries into their lives, successes, shame and legacies.

The overwhelming thread that connects the trio is how their “softer” side is the most intriguing part of their personalities. Given the proliferation of celebrities such as new age male “idols” like Andrew Tate, this is wonderful to witness.

Wham!’s George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley.

“Don’t feel sorry for yourself, just stay useful,” Schwar­zenegger says in Arnold, a three-part mini series that focuses on the main chapters of his life – athlete, actor and politician, or what he calls “American”.

The fact he is waxing lyrical about how to look after your mental health and offering up ways to banish the demons of depression while feeding his miniature ponies, some donkeys and shovelling their mess is more powerful than … their mess.

It must be said from the outset that unless you love Arnie, you’ll probably only make it through a quarter of the first episode. It’s an overproduced miniseries that opens with the star puffing on his favourite Cuban cigar and driving a 16-wheeler truck (that he refers to as his “toy”) through the snow.

The PR-friendly sound bites and talking heads that show the poor foreigner who grew up in the shadows of war, before becoming a fitness hero, will only please pre-existing fans. The line up of mates includes Jamie Lee Curtis, James Cameron and Sylvester Stallone.

The one glaring omission is ex-wife Maria Shriver, a woman Schwarzenegger talks about with affection despite their split that was caused by his extramarital affair with their housekeeper and resulted in his son, Joseph.

Schwarzenegger addresses the issue, expressing his sorrow and regret. He tells how he – and the family unit – recalibrated. The most captivating chapter is the one about his successful run as governor of California.

Shriver did not want him to run, which is not surprising given her family history; Arnie explains how she almost had a panic attack as they discussed his potential foray into politics “in the hot tub”. She then came around before he made the ­declaration on late night TV.

While we’ve since seen other “celebrities” such as former president Donald Trump move into similar roles, Schwarzenegger’s tenure started from a place of wanting to make a difference and to help others. Schwarzenegger’s famous “smoking tent” is a refreshing stroll down memory lane. A makeshift marquee he had erected outside his office, the tent was used to lobby, cajole and engage with members from all sides.

One does wonder how he would have fared today in the age of social media. But then there was his filmed plea to the Russian troops recently, urging them to ignore Putin for the sake of humanity and for the President to stop the war.

His self-belief, like his fit physique, has not diminished with age.

The 75-year-old does recall a time when he found a “wrinkle under my pectoral muscle and wondered if there is a way to ­remove it by cosmetic medicine”.

Celebrities. They’re just like us, eh?

If anything, Arnold invokes a nostalgia for a time when famous people could carry on without the risk of being cancelled. Critics have slammed Arnold for ignoring or glossing over the star’s more controversial qualities, in life and on the big screen.

“Schwarzenegger continues to control his hyper-mediated destiny, and many people agree that his accomplishments as an American politician more than compensate for his earlier ­indiscretions. That was then, and this victory lap is for now until the foreseeable future,” RogerEbert.com’s one-star review surmised.

But there is one small scene in this three-hour marathon that gives pause to the criticism. It’s when Schwarzenegger is talking about the death of a close friend – his best friend – who he ensured was given the same opportunities as he was in Hollywood and on the bodybuilding circuit, despite not being “tall enough”.

“I hope everyone has a friendship like that. I miss him every day,” he says with rare, raw emotion.

The enduring legacy of male friendship is the key ingredient of Wham!, both the band and a new documentary delving into the backstory of George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley.

The show is an irresistible trip down pop music’s memory lane. But it’s also a serious look into Michael’s talent and ­ambition – something that was selflessly aided and encouraged by Ridgeley.

Wham! the band was a youthful experiment, Ridgeley says, as we are inundated with all the hits, all the hyper colour, and all the hair, that was at times bleached like a coral reef. The production is based on his mother’s own scrapbooks of their time in the sun – two, plucky, pimply 20-year-olds who cracked the big time only to retire after a few years.

Ridgeley, left, explains how Michael struggled with his sexuality in Wham! on Netflix.

The members of Wham! were called “idiots”. They were shocked when their silly little ditties charted. Interestingly, Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go was a kernel of an idea when Michael was staying over at Ridgeley’s family home and saw that he had written a note to his dad to wake him the next morning. And thus, the song which continues to make good weddings great and boring parties bangers, was born.

It’s joyous to see two mates just having fun and wishing the best for each other. Ridgeley explains how Michael struggled with his sexuality and watched in awe as his songwriting and production skills continued to flourish in the 1980s, culminating in their final gig in front of 73,000 screaming fans at Wembley Stadium in London.

“If all you want from the film is a kind of nostalgic pep pill, a fizzy revel in the bubblegum glory of its subject, you’ll find that the movie totally scratches that itch. But Wham! is also a fascinating music documentary that’s telling two stories at once,” Variety reported.

Arnold is streaming now on Netflix.
Wham! is streaming now on Netflix.