After Paying Arnold Schwarzenegger $21,429 Per Word, Producers Thought “They Were Screwed” When the Total Budget Exceeded $100 Million for Terminator 2

Arnold Schwarzenegger has established his name as a successful bodybuilder, actor, and politician. While he gained a lot of fame for his roles, fortune followed that fame. After the success of the first installment of the Terminator series, the icon built up insane rates for his roles. After all, he was the star of the show.

In a candid interview, Terminator series director, James Cameron, opened up about the iconic movie and the legend’s role. He also spoke about how the film went way out of budget due to Arnold. The bodybuilder had charged an insane amount just for a word.

How The Terminator went off budget due to Arnold Schwarzenegger

Director James Cameron sat down to talk about how he filmed the second installment of the Terminator series. The creators had come together to decide that they wanted to amp up the CGI for the film. While Cameron initially set a budget for $50 million, it soon racked up to $80 million due to better graphics. However, neither Cameron nor the producers expected Arnold’s rates to derail the entire budget.

Although the bodybuilder’s role as a cyborg did not involve a lot of dialogue, his words held much value. The star charged a whopping $21,429 per word. Therefore, even with a select number of dialogues, he earned a fortune from his role.

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Cameron addressed this in the interview. He revealed how Terminator 2 ended up costing around $100 million, even though they hadn’t intended for it. The director recalled that as production costs gradually increased, the producers thought “they were screwed”.

Nevertheless, they ended up filming the movie according to Cameron’s vision, and it was a success. The series had many more installments, and Arnold Schwarzenegger was declared the face of The Terminator. While the production costs did burn a hole in their pockets, Terminator proved to be a path-breaking film series.

As of 2022, the legendary bodybuilder’s net worth stands at $450 million. Due to his prolific acting career, he was also one of the highest-earning actors in the industry.

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