Arnold Schwarzenegger Net Worth: Ex-Governor Earned $21,429 Per Word In 'Terminator 2'

Before entering the political sphere, Arnold Schwarzenegger was one of the highest-paid stars in the entertainment world during the peak of his movie career.

Long before serving as the 38th governor of California, Schwarzenegger, now 74, rose to superstardom in Hollywood in the '80s after being cast as the titular cyborg assassin in the "Terminator" franchise.

He received a $75,000 paycheck for the first "Terminator" movie, which went on to earn $80 million worldwide after it was released in 1984, according to Celebrity Net Worth. Schwarzenegger got a massive pay bump when he reprised the role for the second film, "Terminator 2: Judgment Day," in 1991.

Schwarzenegger pocketed $15 million to star in the sequel, where he spoke only 700 words. This means he was paid a whopping $21,429 per word, Entertainment Weekly reported.

However, this was not the largest paycheck for Schwarzenegger, who is currently worth an estimated $400 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.

Schwarzenegger’s largest movie income came from 1988's "Twins," where he, co-star Danny Devito and director Ivan Reitman agreed to take no direct salary in exchange for owning 40%, or 13.33% each, of the film.

The gamble paid off as the movie went on to become a hit and earned more than $215 million worldwide at the box office alone. Schwarzenegger’s earnings from the film are believed to be between $35 million to $40 million, which would be around $70 million to $80 million today.

Schwarzenegger also received massive paychecks for several other films, including $20 million for "Eraser" (1996) and "Jingle All The Way" (1996) and $25 million for "Batman & Robin" (1997), "The 6th Day" (2000) and "Collateral Damage" (2002).

In 2003, he made around $35 million from "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines" due to a deal that paid him a guaranteed $29.25 million and a 20% cut of gross profits over $380 million.

Aside from his movie earnings, a chunk of the actor’s wealth came from his real estate investments. At the age of 25, Schwarzenegger had already become a real estate millionaire after flipping several properties. The star’s current portfolio, which consists mostly of commercial properties in southern California, is worth around $100 million.

Meanwhile, Schwarzenegger recently made headlines after he lashed out at COVID-19 misinformation and people not wearing masks.

During a Wednesday interview with CNN's Bianna Golodryga, Schwarzenegger said, "There is a virus here. It kills people and the only way we prevent it is: get vaccinated, wear masks, do social distancing, washing your hands all the time, and not just to think about, ‘Well my freedom is being kind of disturbed here.’ No, screw your freedom."

"You have the freedom to wear no mask — but you know something?" he continued. "You’re a schmuck for not wearing a mask. Because you are supposed to protect your fellow Americans around you.”