Pumping Iron

Himself

Himself (as Louis Ferrigno)

Himself

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Himself (as Robin Robinson)

Herself

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Narrator (voice)

Himself (scenes deleted)

Big Tony

Himself

Himself (uncredited)

Physique Photographer at Mr. Olympia (uncredited)

More than 100 hours of footage was filmed. It eventually had to be edited down to 85 minutes, however, on the 25th anniversary DVD more footage was shown.

To put some Hollywood asset into the film, actor Bud Cort was offered to appear being trained by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Pieces of footage were actually filmed but removed from the final cut on demand of Cort who judged them too distracting from the main subject. He also asked for his salary to be injected into the rest of the production. Some of this footage eventually appeared in Raw Iron: The Making of 'Pumping Iron' (2002).

Arnold Schwarzenegger admitted that he had made up several stories in the movie for attention because the producers told him that without drama it would be boring. One of the stories made up was the fact that he did not attend his father's funeral because of a body building competition that was going to happen in a couple of months. Arnold did actually attend his father's funeral and spoke to him shortly before he passed.

Matty Ferrigno: Never feel sorry for yourself. Remember, if you are traning hard, he may be training twice as hard. You just gotta keep coming back stronger.

Serge Nubret: Looks like I can take you.

Arnold Schwarzenegger: It's as satisfying to me as, uh, coming is, you know? As, ah, having sex with a woman and coming. And so can you believe how much I am in heaven? I am like, uh, getting the feeling of coming in a gym, I'm getting the feeling of coming at home, I'm getting the feeling of coming backstage when I pump up, when I pose in front of 5,000 people, I get the same feeling, so I am coming day and night. I mean, it's terrific. Right? So you know, I am in heaven.