Joseph Baena has been absolutely killing it on this season’s Dancing with the Stars. He is one of the celebrity contestants for season 31 and has been pulling off some pretty intricate dances with his partner Daniella Karagach. This week brought Disney+ Night, with the popular dance competition show's overall Disney Night being a famed tradition. The pairs dazzle audiences with choreographed performances to some of Disney’s most iconic soundtracks, while also emulating the characters as well. This week, Baena and Karagach chose to do a performance from Hercules, which has a memorable connection to Baena’s father, Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Baena and Karagach wore some incredible costumes in the inspired number. Karagach channeled the elegant Megara in a purple, flowy number, and Baena had a mullet and brown pants, characteristic of the “Disneyfied” Greek hero. You can see the two tearing up the dance floor in their costumes below.
However, comparisons to Baena’s father were not lost on people. Schwarzenegger famously played Hercules as well in 1970’s Hercules in New York. The similarities were not lost on the father son duo, either. Baena commented on the likeness to Page Six, saying:
It wasn’t until this week that I realized that he – I mean, I’ve always known that he’s done the movie, but it was this week that I remembered that he did ‘Hercules in New York,’ because he’s done everything.
Schwarzenegger has definitely done "everything," at least acting-wise. The former California governor made a career out of being a muscular action star in such films as The Terminator and Predator. With so many iconic roles under his belt, I understand how Hercules in New York could get overlooked. Baena later revealed that his father got a kick out of the comparisons as well when he brought it to his attention.
The fact that he played that movie, it was just so fun to get that connection. We talked about it, we laughed about it,” he continued. “It was one of his first movies and probably not one of his favorites. But this was one of my favorite dances so I was really excited about it.
It’s so awesome these two got to bond over such a unique connection. This hasn't been the first time the father-son duo have been compared to each other, as there are many things that link the two. Not only is the resemblance between Schwarzenegger and Baena uncanny, but Baena has also shared workout videos on his Instagram that are strikingly similar to Schwarzenegger’s bodybuilding days. While Baena didn’t take his father’s famous last name so he could stand out by himself as an actor, the similarities between these two are unavoidable. I’m glad these two are embracing the comparisons as Baena embarks on his Dancing with the Stars journey.
DWTS airs Mondays at 8:00 ET on ABC. To revisit Joseph Baena’s already iconic dance numbers, previous episodes from this season are currently available for Disney+ subscribers. For more information on what else is coming to the small screen this fall, check out CinemaBlend’s fall television premiere schedule.
