Arnold Schwarzenegger recently disclosed which film secured him his highest earnings in Hollywood, and surprisingly, it’s not from the franchise you might assume.
With iconic roles in films like The Terminator, Commando, and Predator, the 77-year-old has enjoyed an illustrious career in the film industry, alongside receiving some staggering paydays along the way.
This week, Schwarzenegger made an unexpected revelation that his most financially rewarding film was neither one of his famed action movies nor any of his well-known franchises, but rather a lesser-known comedy from 1988.
During this particular film, Schwarzenegger included a clause in his contract that resulted in significant financial gains.
He teamed up with Danny DeVito in the comedy, where the duo portrayed fraternal twin brothers who were separated at birth.
In an interview with Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live, Schwarzenegger confessed that Twins was the film that provided him with his largest paycheck.
“Well, number one was Twins because we got no money for the salary but ownership with a piece of the back end,” he revealed.
Schwarzenegger and DeVito decided to waive any upfront salary to keep the film’s budget under $16.5 million – a choice that turned out to be incredibly profitable for the star of Terminator.
Instead of an immediate payout, they struck a deal with the studio to own 40 percent of the movie’s profits, essentially wagering on its success.
Twins crossed the $216 million mark globally, surpassing even their highest expectations.
These impressive figures likely resulted in DeVito and Schwarzenegger’s share exceeding $80 million.
On Watch What Happens Live, Schwarzenegger expressed: “It was fantastic. We went all the way to the bank with that.”
Cohen then asked if his earnings from the film surpassed $40 million, to which Schwarzenegger responded: “It was more than that. It was more than any movie I ever made.”
In a recent discussion with his son Patrick, also an actor, for Variety, Schwarzenegger touched upon Twins.
“Why would they [cast me in a comedy]?” Schwarzenegger questioned. “They said, ‘Are you crazy? The more people that this guy kills on-screen, the more money we make. Why would we change that?’ That was the dialogue until Ivan Reitman [director] and Danny DeVito came along.”
He elaborated: “So I said, ‘Why don’t we all three take no money’. If we don’t take any salaries, we can shoot the movie for $16.5 million. We worked out a deal where we got 40 percent of the backend of the movie. It happened to be the best deal we’ve ever made.”