Arnold Schwarzenegger has revealed which film made him the most amount of money — and surprisingly, it wasn’t his best-known movie, Terminator.
The former Republican Governor of California, 77, whose acting career has spanned more than five decades, was asked which past project had earned him the biggest paycheck during an appearance on Monday’s episode of Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen.
“It was Twins because we had gotten no money, no salary,” he said, “but we got ownership, and a piece of the backend.”
Schwarzenegger starred inTwins alongside Danny DeVito. Released in 1988, the comedy-action film grossed over $216.6 million at the worldwide box office.
While the Total Recall actor refrained from giving the exact amount he took home he confirmed that it was well above $40 million. “It was more than any movie I’ve ever made,” he disclosed. “Let’s just put it that way.”
Directed by Ivan Reitman, the movie was about a pair of genetically engineered twins, separated at birth. After their birth mother is falsely told they are dead, Schwarzenegger’s Julius learns the truth about his family and sets out to find them.
Asked if he retained ownership of Twins 2, Schwarzenegger corrected Cohen, telling him that they never made a sequel.
In 2012, reports broke about a long-awaited sequel titled Triplets; however, it never got made because Reitman died “just before we wanted to start shooting it,” Schwarzenegger explained.
Reitman, also known for helming several Ghostbusters movies, died from natural causes in 2022. He was 75.
Schwarzenegger revealed that had the movie come to fruition, Eddie Murphy would’ve starred as his and DeVito’s triplet.
“Aw that would’ve been great!” Cohen exclaimed.
BeforeTwins, the Austrian actor had primarily starred in action movies, including The Terminator (1984), Commando (1985), Predator (1987), and the Stephen King adaptation of The Running Man (1987).
Twins marked the Schwarzenegger’s first comedic role. He’s since gone on to lead other comedies such as Kindergarten Cop (1990), Last Action Hero (1993), and Jingle All the Way (1996).
Schwarzenegger currently leads Netflix’s action series, FUBAR, which premiered its second season earlier this month.
The show, which also features Monica Barbaro, Travis Van Winkle, and Aparna Brielle, is about a CIA operative (Schwarzenegger), who is forced to return to the field for one last assignment after discovering a family secret.
