The pair finalized their divorce in 2021, 10 years after filing in 2011, after news of Schwarzenegger's infidelity became public.
Arnold Schwarzenegger is getting real about the cheating scandal that led to the end of his marriage with Maria Shriver.
In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Schwarzenegger, who was promoting his new Netflix series, FUBAR, couldn't help but draw parallels between the divorced CIA operative he plays on-screen and his real life.
While he admits there are key differences, Schwarzenegger said his split from Shriver was his "failure."
The couple met in 1977, and tied the knot on April 26, 1986, in Hyannis, Massachusetts. They would go on to welcome four children together -- Katherine, 33, Christina, 31, Patrick, 29, and Christopher, 25.
Shriver ultimately filed for divorce from the Terminator star back in July 2011, following the end of Schwarzenegger's tenure as governor of California, after he admitted to fathering son, Joseph Baena, now 25, with their longtime housekeeper Mildred Patricia Baena. Their divorce was not finalized until December 2021, following mediation by a private judge and a lengthy property settlement agreement that complicated the legal split.
"We were laughing about it -- it feels like it's a documentary … But in [my real-life marriage to Shriver], it was my f**k up," Schwarzenegger told the outlet. "It was my failure. Also, in the show, he's deep down still in love with his wife."
Despite the very public scandal, Schwarzenegger said he and Shriver have remained friendly.
"[The divorce] was very, very difficult in the beginning. She and I are really good friends, and very close and we are very proud of the way we raised our kids, even though we had this drama, we did Easter together, Mother's Day together, the Christmases together, all birthdays -- everything together," the former governor shared. "If there's Oscars for how to handle divorce, Maria and I should get it for having the least amount of impact on the kids…"
Schwarzenegger previously addressed the end of his marriage in an upcoming three-part docuseries, due out on Netflix next month.
"It was very tough on my marriage, on my relationship with the kids. I have caused enough pain for my family that I will have to live with it for the rest of my life," the 75-year-old said in the teaser trailer for the series, released last week.
That's not the only part of his past he's looking back on. Also while in conversation with THR, Schwarzenegger explained why he'd never reprise his role as The Terminator again.
"The franchise is not done. I'm done," Schwarzenegger maintained. "I got the message loud and clear that the world wants to move on," before admitting that last two Terminator movies "were just not well written."
Schwarzenegger starred as the film's titular character -- a cyborg assassin disguised as a human -- in five of the franchise's films, including the 2019 release, Terminator: Dark Fate.
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