“I am a terrible reader” — Hollywood veteran Arnold Schwarzenegger has admitted in a personal note, opening up about his life-long challenges with dyslexia and how he has to read his scripts over and over again owing to the learning disability.

“When I prepare for a movie, I read the script over and over for months until I’ve memorised every line. I need time and reps to get my mind around the words,” the professional bodybuilder-turned-actor wrote on Instagram, sharing his experience of recording his audiobook Be Useful.

The Terminator star, who later ventured into politics, said that his school days were also filled with challenges because of his learning disability, and the lack of awareness about such disabilities made the situation worse for him as a child.

“They didn’t talk about learning disabilities in Austria in the 1950s, so most of the time, when I was asked to read out loud in class, it was just a disaster, and I got smacked with a ruler. But now I know that I’m dyslexic,” the Austrian-born actor wrote alongside a picture of him recording for his audiobook.

Schwarzenegger has been using his daily Pump Club newsletter to share stories from his long-running career. His anecdotes include advice on cultivating positive routines, enhancing physical fitness, and striving for personal objectives.

However, he admitted that during the process of recording his audiobook, he experienced the same anxiety he had felt back in his school days.

“They told me authors read their books in 2 or 3 days at the studio. I asked for the recording equipment at home and told them I’d do 20-30 pages a day. That way I could log in with the director and producer twice a day for shorter sessions and I could practise non-stop in between,” his post read.

The actor also shared lessons he had learnt throughout his career that enabled him to triumph over his learning disability. “I let myself dread it and complain for a minute, but then I forced myself to get moving, because denial wasn’t going to get it recorded.”

He also wrote about the importance of reiterating lines and breaking them into smaller parts because “small wins build up into big victories, or in this case, a whole book”.