He's been a body-builder, a movie star and leader of the most populous state in the US. But could Arnold Schwarzenegger, now nearing the end of his days as California's governor, be offered a place at Barack Obama's side in Washington?

Speculation is swirling that Schwarzenegger will be offered the role of energy czar in the incoming Obama administration. There has been Beltway chatter about the prospect ever since he was named as a contender for the job by the authoritative politico.com website.

At first blush, this seemed an unlikely prospect. Schwarzenegger likes to live large: he has the Hummers (although he cut down the size of his fleet), the Harley Davidson that he likes to ride along the Pacific coast at weekends, the private jet he takes several times a week from his home near Los Angeles to his office almost 400 miles away in Sacramento. And then he has the high-emission cigar habit.

And he has not been kind to Obama. Appearing at one of John McCain's final rallies in Ohio, he derided Obama's "skinny legs" and "scrawny arms", adding that the Democrat needed to put some muscle on his policy ideas. He also dismissed Obama's tax policies as "Soviet spread-the-wealth policies".

This summer he criticised his wife Maria Shriver, a member of the Kennedy clan, for her support of the now president-elect, saying that she was "absolutely wrong with that Obama fellow".

But the chatter has refused to go away. It stems from an interview Schwarzenegger gave in July to ABC's George Stephanopoulos. "I'm always ready to help in any way I can," he replied when asked if he would be willing to fill the role. "I've committed myself to be a public servant."

The speculation resurfaced this week in the Wall Street Journal in a piece by Keith Johnson, lead writer for the paper's environment blog, who cited the California governor's impressive record on green policy, from support for renewable energy to running one of his Hummers on biofuel.

Obama and Schwarzenegger also oppose increased offshore drilling and they share targets on reducing emissions, an area where California has led despite opposition from the Bush administration. Back in May, Schwarzenegger even issued a press release praising Obama for introducing a national version of California's low carbon fuel standard.