Arnold Schwarzenegger Was Paid $21,429 Per Word In Terminator 2

Arnold Schwarzenegger was paid an incredible $21,429 per word for his role in Terminator 2: Judgement Day.

The actor, now 73, spoke a total of 700 words in the 1991 movie and earned $15 million for his portrayal of the cybernetic android.

He had been given a substantial pay rise from when he starred in The Terminator, seven years earlier.

Orion Pictures

For the first movie in the franchise, which had a budget of $6.4 million, he earned $750,000 - significantly less. In that one he only had 57 lines, which worked out at 13 grand per word - still more than decent.

He recently delivered one of his famous lines after he had his Covid jab - but presumably he wasn't paid by the word this time.

Arnie had received his vaccine at the Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, before encouraging others to do the same by reciting the classic Terminator line: "Come with me if you want to live."

Captioning the video on Twitter back in January, Arnie said: "Today was a good day. I have never been happier to wait in a line. If you're eligible, join me and sign up to get your vaccine. Come with me if you want to live!"

He's done his bit throughout the pandemic, putting some of his fortune to good use. Last year he donated $1,000,000 ($715,000) in masks to support frontline health workers in their fight to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

The movie legend backed a fundraising page for Flexport.org, an international aid group that is working to deliver life-saving medical equipment to those who need it most.

Arnold Schwarzenegger

As part of his work with the group, the star helped deliver almost 50,000 masks to a hospital in Los Angeles, US.

Speaking about the initiative, the 72-year-old said: "Our doctors, nurses and hospital staff are the real action heroes of this crisis. I just play one in the movies.

"We have an opportunity and a responsibility to provide them with personal protective equipment right now to keep them safe as they fight this virus, so when I heard about Flexport.org's plan, this was a no-brainer to me.

"With all of the courageous work they are doing on the frontlines to keep us safe, buying a few hundred thousand masks with a million dollars is the least I can do. Please take a moment to join me in supporting our heroes."

Topics: TV and Film, Arnold Schwarzenegger

Amelia Ward

Amelia is a journalist at LADbible. After studying journalism at Liverpool John Moores and Salford Uni (don't ask), she went into PR and then the world of music. She spent a few years working on festivals and events. Soon realising you can't pay your bills with guestlist, she went back to her roots. In her spare time, Amelia likes music, Liverpool FC, and spending good, quality time with her cat, Paul. You can contact Amelia at [email protected].

@ameliasward