Years Before Arnold Schwarzenegger Rejected Governor’s Salary Calling It “Petty Cash,” His Risky Business Stunt Turned Into a $216,000,000 Box-Office Success

Of the many hits that Arnold Schwarzenegger has given to Hollywood, the 1988 film, Twins remains a notable mark in his record. The movie served as the barrier-breaking project that allowed fans to witness the action legend in a new setting, comedy. On top of that, Arnold had a business idea that would earn him millions from the movie. Contrastingly, this master plan was devised years before he was appointed as Governor, and rejected his salary. 

In his autobiography, Arnold recalled the time that changed the dynamics of his career. Apart from the acting and filming, he came up with a brilliant idea, although risky, that earned him, director Ivan Reitman and co-actor, Danny DeVito great shares from the $216 million box-office hit.

Arnold Schwarzenegger risked his money

According to the book, the 76-year-old former athlete, Reitman, and DeVito pitched their idea of working in Twins with no salary at all. After proposing their idea to the head of Universal Studio, Tom Pollock, Arnie convinced him saying, “I can guarantee it will be a hit, because of Ivan and Danny here.” 

Speaking of himself, the actor assured Pollock that while he might be concerned about Arnie’s little comedy experience, he need not take any risk at all. They did want to get paid, but wanted a small share from what Hollywood calls “the back end.” As per the source, 37.5% of the box-office receipts, video sales and rentals, airline showings, and more, would go to the three of them. 

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Initially, Pollock preferred to pay them their stipulated cash amounts, but neither of the three agreed. “We don’t want cash. None of us is short of cash. Let’s all share the risk here,” they said, as stated in Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story. Arnie, Reitman, and DeVito divided the 35% among themselves, based on their earnings from the last movie they’d worked on. Hence, the Austrian Oak ended up with the largest share, 20%, which summed up to about $43 million after the movie’s success. On the contrary, Arnold rejected his Governor’s salary years later, deeming it inessential. 

Arnold Schwarzenegger shows his generosity

Arnold was appointed as the Governor of California in 2003, and severed the state until his last term in 2011. Notably, he was the highest-paid Governor at that time, earning $187,000, later adding up to $206,500. Despite that, Arnold rejected his salary calling it “petty cash” and instead donated it to charity. 

Owing to his huge success in the film industry, Arnold’s financial goals had been met. Therefore, he was now looking to work for the environment and the betterment of people. Having said that, during the Covid-19 pandemic, he donated $1 million to the front-end employees. 

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Breaking past his action roles, Arnold established his versatility in Hollywood through the success of Twins. However, the movie was also a testament to his intellect, and business-minded excellence that propelled his career to new heights.