Baby Don't Hurt Me - Mike O'Hearn On His Viral Meme, How He Handles Haters, Acting In "Magazine Dreams" With Jonathan Majors

Mike O'Hearn (@mikeohearn) is an actor and a legendary bodybuilder. He sits down with Chris Van Vliet in Hollywood, CA to talk about how the "Baby don't hurt me" meme started, why he decided to lean into it, what he has learned from working out with Arnold Schwarzenegger, how close he was to signing with WWE in the 90s, his reaction to Joe Rogan talking about him on his podcast, his biggest pet peeve in the gym, working with Jonathan Majors on the film "Magazine Dreams", being Titan on American Gladiators, why he believes that you should never skip a meal and much more!

Check out Mike O'Hearn's website: http://mikeohearn.com

Get $150 off your Plunge with the coupon code CVV at http://thecoldplunge.com

Quote I'm thinking about:

The mind is the limit. As long as the mind can envision the fact that you can do something, you can do it, as long as you really believe 100 percent. - Arnold Schwarzenegger

On waking up early:

“I’ve been doing it a while, been speaking to this. So first of all, it’s cool for you getting up that early. Most people I mean, I mean, you’re doing an interview with us and training with us. But I mean, I’m talking about like these, the kids today, the influencers. They’re like, Yeah, I’ll train with you. But I ain’t going at 4 or 5. I’m going at like 12 or 1 in the afternoon. And I’m like, have a good workout.”

On getting results, not excuses:

“Yeah, and I agree with that. I mean, most of Arnold’s philosophy, I’ve adapted or lived because he’s so right about all of it. It’s just, it’s one way or another, you’re gonna get older, so the best thing you can do is fight against it the best you possibly can. And then for a lot of us, we look at it as we get to work out, not that we have to work out. Those are two different worlds.”

On starting at a young age:

“Yeah, it started early. Nine years old, I started training, eating right. But I grew up in a family that was just savages. My sisters and brothers all grew up in the martial arts world. powerlifting bodybuilding martial arts competitions, and I’m the youngest of 10. Yeah, so it was go time from the early years and you know, younger brother getting your butt kicked by your older brothers, typical thing. But when my sister Kate, front kicked me, I was like, Okay, I got to start working out more training more and stuff. And so it was just, I’ve done that so long that I know no other way. And then it just unfolded into one workout day after day, decade after decade after now it’s 45 years in.”

On people not appreciating hard work:

“I guess it’s just when they see a photo, they see a moment in time. And it and even for me when I look at something, and I’ll see these videos of me as a teenager competing and I’m like, wow, okay. It’s been a long time. It’s hard to comprehend that I’m just that guy that never gave up. And just consistently moved slowly, but consistently moved forward.”

Why does Arnold Schwarzenegger still works out at Gold’s Gym:

“It’s the community, it’s the people, it’s the guys, it’s that gym, locker room kind of banter we grew up with and it’s fun. It really does make lifting fun. And again, like we said, we get do it not that we have to do it. And so he’ll be the first to say, there’s guys in the health and fitness world that are always angry and dieting and grumpy, and you don’t want to talk to him. And then there’s guys like Arnold or others that are just walking around training and going, this is so much fun. And that’s again, I think the reason why Arnold still comes to Gold’s still is the same way as still breaking balls and having fun.”

On nearly becoming a pro-wrestler:

“In 92, which is funny because it was the same year Billy signed with Vince. Shane McMahon came out, had dinner with me. A week later flew me to Stamford, we sat down with the cowhide chairs Vince came in and we had a talk, great discussion, sent me down to wardrobe, started getting suited up and stuff, and had an idea of what my character would be. And I was gonna go off to camp, flew back to California. They got into negotiations, but I had Gladiators already. And so then the battle started with well, we got him on Gladiators. And then so it fell apart. Years later, WCW and Battle Dome team up and I get to get in the ring with those guys and have some fun. And that’s where I really got to meet all the guys in the late 90s and hang out with them and do some wrestling. But again, I had Battle Dome. So I went Gladiators, Battle Dome, back to gladiators. And so I got lucky doing another thing but I got to be on the same kind of plane, road I guess you would say with with all the guys.”

On online criticism:

“Yeah. You know, what’s funny about that stuff is you’re always gonna have the haters, right. And for me, and I think at the end of the day, I get a workout, I got a beautiful family. I’m a first time father, a late father. And I’m like, this is just fine, if they want to believe this or that they can go have fun with it, and I’ll lay into them. Because it’s at the end of the day, I’m still me, I’m still having fun. And so why be upset that these guys are saying whatever they want to.”

On the biggest change in nutritional advice:

“That’s how they keep trying to change the most basic stuff. Just, this isn’t good, that’s not good. And to stay away from this. It’s just the moderate amount. And it has to do with weightlifting, food, sleep. Do the best you can, get as much sleep as you possibly can, train smart. Don’t hit yourself against the wall and just fatigue every workout and go blitz out. And when it comes to nutrition, all food, if done correctly, is healthy for you. Have your carbohydrates, have your proteins, have your healthy fats, and then just moderately do this. Don’t gorge yourself and don’t starve yourself.”

On not taking things seriously: 

“I’ve been alive long enough to know, when things are so awesome, they could turn a corner and then you can be ground zero. And same thing. You could be on ground zero thinking you’re gonna get nothing, and the next day you get a call and boom, you’re on top of the world again. So it’s just mostly at this stage, I can poke fun at myself. I think society thinks because you get haters with social media, which is great. But I got friends like Billy Gunn and Paul Wight, and who talks more smack than wrestlers? It’s like, I don’t know if me, Billy have ever actually had a sit down. pleasant conversation. We’re busting balls the whole time. So it’s that crew that you keep tight that keeps you down to earth, that no matter how much fame or money you get, you just stay cool, stay calm. You enjoy it.”

On where to start:

“The cool thing about a body changing is that you only need one aspect of it. So like if you’re not working out and you’re in bed, just clean up the meals. You don’t even have to start working out yet. You can just clean up the meals. And that’s one step your body is automatically going to change, and then add two days in a week. Start just getting movement, that’s your next change. And so now you’re four weeks in already and all you did was change your meals and workout a couple times.”

On the biggest pet peeve in the gym:

“The toughest stuff is the space. There’s no more allowance on space if you’re lifting something that there’s this old school protocols, you don’t walk in front of a person that’s squatting or deadlifting in front of their face and those kinds of things. Or if they’re doing dumbbells, give them space to do their dumbbell work and put the weights down so space is the biggest thing.”

What has Mike O’Hearn been working on:

“We are working on a great, and I’m so happy. Again, I’ve been in this long enough to, I don’t think the world knows that. I’ve been acting since the 90s my first movie was Death Becomes Her in 1990 We filmed it and then it came out like in 91,92. But being on set with Bruce Willis and Goldie Hawn and Meryl Streep, I never gave that up. I kept going on dishes, but it just never happened. Like bodybuilding and the covers and the romance books and all those things or Gladiators, those things happen for me right away. But the hardcore acting, didn’t happen. Little pieces here and there. And in the last couple of years, it has opened. And so we’ve been working on this incredible TV show, Blue Ridge with a buddy Jonathan Scheck, who has been the top of the world in acting, and it’s a great show. So that will be out later. And it’s very cool because he’s like this badass Sheriff, old school mentality, and I get to come in and kick some ass. That’s the most recent.”

What is Mike O’Hearn grateful for:

“That I still have my puppy, I got a baby momma that is so supportive and that I get to raise my son.”