Arnie: I'm a relaxed parent

Arnold Schwarzenegger pretended to be cool about his kids getting tattoos.

The actor takes on the role of John 'Breacher' Wharton in crime drama Sabotage and sports body art for the big screen.

He has five children, four with his ex-wife Maria Shriver and one from an affair with their housekeeper. Arnold, 66, has a relaxed attitude when it comes to parenting.

"My daughter Christina was 16 when she asked me if she could a tattoo and have her tongue pierced," he revealed to German newspaper Bild. "It was more of a psychological thing. She wanted to rebel.

"I said, 'Go speak to my buddy Giuseppe Franco.' He owns a salon in Beverly Hills, is tattooed, and the girls there have pierced tongues, nipples, whatever. 'Ask Giuseppe if he'll take you to his tattoo artist,' I said. And she said, 'You really don't mind' I answered, 'If you like it, do it. I always wanted to be unique and not have those kinds of things on me, but if it's your kind of thing and you want to look like the girls at the salon: let's go!' She's 22 now and never did it. She wanted to hear me say no, but I didn't."

For his role in Sabotage, Arnold had to have the fake tattoos reapplied every five or six days. He's never been tempted to get artwork on his body.

"No. My muscles were my way of changing my body. And I was better at that than anyone else," he shrugged.

Sabotage is about members of an elite DEA task force who are taken down when they rob a drug cartel safe house. The actor revealed what made him take the part in the film, which also stars Sam Worthington and Joe Manganiello.

"In my previous movies it was always very clear if I was good or bad. There were no grey areas. Now it's no longer black and white. Breacher is the most multifaceted and interesting character I've ever been able to play," he said.