Arnold Schwarzenegger is a man of few words, at least in his most iconic role. For his performance in 'Terminator 2', he earned a staggering amount for every single word he spoke. The final figure is almost unbelievable.

From a humble beginning in the movie “Hercules in New York” to getting into superstardom and earning a hefty amount of money, Arnold Schwarzenegger proved that words are as valuable as a blank check.

But it did not happen overnight. In the first part of Terminator, Schwarzenegger earned just $750000 for 17 lines. That means he earned $4,400 per word.

But in his role as The Terminator, he impressed audiences with his physique and intimidating screen presence. And with a few words, the bodybuilding legend became unforgettable. By the time Terminator 2 hit the silver screen, he became a superstar.

As the T-800, he received a paycheck that few could expect at the time. On March 23, Fact, in its Instagram account, revealed The Austrian Oak's Terminator 2 salary with the caption:

“In Terminator 2, Schwarzenegger was paid $15 million. It means for each word he spoke, he earned $21,429!”

But the interesting part is that this amount was also only 1 percent of the movie's total budget.

However, this was not the peak of his earning power.

For Terminator 3, the 7-time Mr. Olympia earned even more: $ 30 million and an additional $ 5 million from the movie's profits.

Although 'Terminator 2' was lucrative, it was not his highest-paying film.

Arnold Schwarzenegger Reveals His Highest-Paying Movie

On June 24, 2025, he appeared on the “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen” show and discussed his highest-paying movie.

While most of his fans think the Terminator series was the movie that gave him the most money, he said, “It was Twins because we had gotten no money, no salary.”

When the host asked, “You got a piece of the backend?” the former Mr. Olympia said, “Exactly. And it was fantastic. We went all the way to the bank with that one.”

While he did not reveal his exact paycheck for that movie, he later admitted it was more than $ 40 million.

He said, “It was more than in any movie I’ve ever made”.

So, what is your favorite Schwarzenegger movie, The Terminator or Twins?

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Written by

Supradeep Dutta

Edited by

Ashvinkumar Patil