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Arnold Schwarzenegger went from humble beginnings to an international superstar, but he acknowledges that he wouldn't be where he is today without some outside help.

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In a Google + Hangout hosted by What's Trending's Shira Lazar, Arnold credited his estranged wife Maria Shriver with his success in politics.

"My wife was extremely helpful, because it was helpful to also know what a democrat thinks about various different policies," said Arnold, the former republican Governor of California. "And also what a female thinks about various different policies, because I felt that the Republican Party has lost a lot of the female members because they have kind of turned their back on female issues."

The subject of helping hands is a running theme throughout Arnold's new autobiography, Total Recall, which the actor described as "an immigrant story."

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In the Google + sitdown, Arnold contributes the success he found in bodybuilding, movies and politics to always being able to "rely on a really good team."

"There is really no such thing as a self-made man, because we all rely on help from the outside," he said. "Even as a bodybuilder I had to have my nutritional experts that helped me ... in acting you have 150 people on set, from wardrobe experts to makeup experts."

As far as his own personal attributes that accounted for his achievements, Arnold simply said, "I think it was just the willingness to work hard."

Arnold continues to work hard, as he already has several films lined up to release next year, including The Last Stand where he plays a small-town sheriff who hunts down the leader of a drug cartel.