I had to get out of America to get a professional life going where I could actually make a living.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
I went to America with a very specific idea of what I wanted to do.
I did all kinds of things in order to earn a living.
The opportunities of America opened out to me the public schools. They carried me to the professional training of an American university. I began by working with my own hands for my daily bread.
Then in college, besides economics, I also majored in studio art and got involved in photography and making short films and acting. But I didn't know you could make a living that way.
America saw me as a projection of me that I always wanted. That's why I love going to America so much. I feel like I started off in America exactly how I wanted to start everywhere.
I met an American woman and got married so I had to get a job.
I have never had a plan when it comes to my career: America came to me with an opportunity.
I decided that, somehow, I had to get out of there and go to Hollywood. I had never been to America.
America gave me the opportunity to open successful restaurants, start a TV show, and write books. I can even fill an auditorium when I give a speech, which in America is rare for a chef.
The success I have achieved in bodybuilding, motion pictures, and business would not have been possible without the generosity of the American people and the freedom here to pursue your dreams.