“Don’t Give Me Any Money”: $450 Million Worth Arnold Schwarzenegger Once Revealed How Turning Down His Salary Became the Biggest Investment of His Career

In the 1980s, there were two famous moments involving Arnold Schwarzenegger. The first was to see his glorious bodybuilding career come to an end. The other moment was when people saw him establish his supremacy as an action hero in Hollywood. In movies such as The Terminator, Predator, Commando, and Conan The Barbarian, Schwarzenegger became the ideal bad-guy fighting icon.

In the same decade, Arnold did something no one expected from him. An unprecedented move saw Schwarzenegger star alongside Danny DeVito in a comedy film titled ‘Twins.’ Discussing the same, Arnold once revealed why this move was one of his best.

Arnold Schwarzenegger refused salary while starring in ‘Twins’

In 1988, the action hero Arnold Schwarzenegger donned a new outfit. This time, it was that of a comedian. Schwarzenegger and DeVito starred alongside each other in one of the most iconic comedy films of all time. The film grossed over $216 million across the globe. But the best part about the whole venture was Arnold’s decision to not ask for his usual salary.

Talking about the same, Arnold once said he knew the studio was taking a risk by filming a comedy movie with him. So he thought it would only be fair if they were not the only ones taking a risk. “So I felt like the only way that we maybe can go beyond that and make a studio feel at all comfortable is by me just saying, ‘Hey, you don’t have to be the only one that is investing in me. I invest in myself too.” He further added, “Don’t give me any money. Nothing. Just pay for the production.”

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Thus, Arnold, alongside DeVito and Ivan Reitman, decided to ditch their salaries and take a percentage of the movie’s profits instead. The trio opted for 40% of the profits. And when it was all done and dusted, the three main men of the movie earned the biggest paychecks of their careers.

Arnold’s other major paychecks

From his share of the profits, Arnold pocketed nearly $43 million. While this figure remains easily the biggest paycheck of Arnold’s career, he earned a few other major paychecks too.

In 2003, Arnold earned the second-biggest paycheck of his life. While filming Terminator 3, he negotiated a salary of $29.25 million. He also added a clause that would see him earn a 20% royalty on the movie’s gross profits. Also, for movies like Batman & Robin, The 6th Day, and Collateral damage, Arnold earned $25 million each in salaries. True Lies, Last Action Hero, Eraser, and a couple of other movies fetched him $15-$20 million per film. In his entire filming career, Arnold earned close to an estimated $400 million before taxes.

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In monetary terms, Arnold’s stint in the show biz was much more successful than his bodybuilding career. While the two careers can never be compared, Schwarzenegger sure was a visionary with his career switch and salary dealings.