Arnold Schwarzenegger is a big name in the industry who needs no introduction. Throughout his acting career, the actor has established himself in the film industry, especially in the action genre. With films like Terimator, Expendables film series, and Predator, Schwarzenegger is known as one of the best action superstars of the franchise.
These films are undoubtedly some of the best films of his career, but surprisingly, they aren’t the ones that gave him great fortune. The film that earned Schwarzenegger a $40 million paycheck was a comedy film directed by Ivan Reitman. With Schwarzenegger’s wit and versatility, the film was a massive hit, and the actor earned a whopping amount.
Arnold Schwarzenegger took a leap by shifting the genre
Arnold Schwarzenegger‘s appearance in the 1988 film Twins is indeed surprising for his fans as the actor is best known for his action films. However, with films like Twins, the actor has proven his versatility. However, the film’s contribution is not limited to the factor of proving his versatility as the film earned him great fortune. The 90s was undeniably Schwarzenegger’s era when the actor delivered blockbuster films including Terminator, Expendables, Commando, Predator, and many more.
But all these films depicted Schwarzenegger as an action superstar, and to prove his versatility the actor decided to shift genre. Once while partying with the director Ivan Reitman, under the influence of alcohol, Schwarzenegger expressed his desire to work on Reitman’s next project.
Initially, on hearing Schwarzenegger’s idea Reitman was skeptical about offering a role to Schwarzenegger in his film, as the filmmaker is known for making movies in the comedic genre and Schwarzenneger was renowned as an action superstar. However, after spending a few days with the Fubar actor, Reitman realized that Schwarzenneger could be fit for his project and offered him the script of The Experiment, which was later changed into Twins.
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s wit brought him great fortune
Knowing that he was new in the comedic genre, Arnold Schwarzenegger decided to take no salary for his role rather he requested the filmmaker to give him a certain portion of the film’s profit. During an episode of Chris Hardwick’s Nerdist podcast, (via celebrity networth) Schwarzenegger said,
“Just give me backend. Let me Danny, Ivan and me OWN 45% of the movie as a package. Never take one dollar up front.”
Schwarzenegger’s idea not only earned him a great fortune, but it also saved the budget of the film, as the makers of the film didn’t have to pay big paychecks. The film was made on a budget of less than $18 million, and it grossed a whopping amount of $216 million. Schwarzenegger said,
“I felt, why would someone have to pay when they didn’t know for sure if the movie was gonna work out. I take the risk, you take the risk. Let’s all take the risk and let’s all go to work.”
The actor further explained that he, Retiman, and the second lead of the film Danny DeVito were the ones who immensely benefited from the film. He said,
“The movie went through the roof internationally and domestically. I think we all made more money on that movie than on anything we’ve ever done, even though I had salaries of $30 million dollars on some movies… This was the biggest payday because we owned a percentage of EVERYTHING. TV rights, cable rights, merchandising… We owned that money and made a fortune.”
So it can be said that Schwarzenegger not only got his name listed in the comedic genre, but his wit earned him and his co-star and director the largest paycheck.
Source: Celebrity Net Worth
