What Surprising Event Ended the Decades-Long Rivalry Between Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger?
Imagine if the box office could capture every off-screen feud as well as it does explosions. Would “Rambo” and the “Terminator” have ever shaken hands in the real world—or would they just trade increasingly ridiculous one-liners for all eternity? In the neon-buzzing haze of the ’80s and ’90s, Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger weren’t just Hollywood heavyweights… they were gladiators in a very public, flex-off rivalry . But here’s the plot twist even the most cinephilic among us might’ve missed: these two action icons were so at odds, they wouldn’t even share a stage. Yep, not even for a Planet Hollywood photo-op.
I’ll say it, the idea that a political career could outmuscle egos bigger than any biceps on screen feels almost—almost—too poetic for reality, right? Yet that’s exactly how Stallone describes the thaw in this frosty bromance: Arnie’s pivot from blockbuster scripts to ballots didn’t just change California; it flipped the script on a 20-year-long grudge match. These days, they can laugh about it, grateful (maybe a bit awestruck) that their fabled beef finally sizzled out. You’ve got to wonder: was the real competition ever about box office numbers—or just who could outlast the other at being legendarily stubborn?
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Sylvester Stallone has shared what ended his 20-year-long beef with fellow action hero Arnold Schwarzenegger, after admitting that things were so bad the two wouldn’t even appear on stage together.
Back in the 1980s and 90s, Stallone and Schwarzenegger were two of the biggest stars in Hollywood with a slew of action movies between them.
Stallone rose to fame with Rocky in 1976, but then pivoted to action roles in the likes of Rambo, Cliffhanger, and Demolition Man.
Meanwhile, bodybuilder-turned-actor Schwarzenegger appeared in Commando, Predator and the iconic Terminator franchise.
In 2010, fans were delighted to see the two legendary actors join forces for The Expendables, which was also co-written by Stallone alongside David Callaham, alongside a slew of other stars including Dolph Lundgren, Jason Statham, Jet Li, and Bruce Willis.
Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger had a decades-long feud (Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
The movie was such a success that it went on to spawn several sequels, with Schwarzenegger playing Trent ‘Trench’ Mauser in three films across the franchise.
However, while the two men are pals now, things weren’t always that way.
In fact, the Hollywood stars were embroiled in a decades-long feud after seemingly seeing each other as fierce competitors for action roles.
Speaking on the Rest is Entertainment podcast, Stallone said: “It was very contentious, trust me, which I enjoyed, because the madder I made him, the madder he made me, the more he fought to make the next action film bigger-than-life, louder, more body count, this and that, better location – it just kept elevating.”
He went on to say that things between the pair were so fraught that they ‘couldn’t get on the same stage together to make a presentation or a speech’, despite both of them being investors in the Planet Hollywood restaurant chain at the time.
Awkward.
The 80-year-old added: “It wasn’t put to bed until like 20 years.”
Opening up about what prompted the pair to bury the hatchet, Stallone said it was Schwarzenegger’s move away from acting and into politics that did it.
The pair are pals now, but it hasn’t always been that way (Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)
In 2003, the Terminator star was elected as governor of California, and later ran again where he was reelected in the 2006 gubernatorial election.
And it was Schwarzenegger’s political career that made Stallone realise the feud could be done and dusted.
He shared: “I said, ‘Enough of this, we’re not in competition’,”
“He was not doing movies anymore. All right. Thank you very much for waking me up, lighting a fire under me. And he felt the same way.”
In 2011, Schwarzenegger reached his term limit as governor and returned to acting, which was neatly timed with the release of The Expendables and the start of a beautiful on-screen pairing between him and Stallone.
Reflecting on how their relationship has changed over the years, Stallone said: “We’re always going to be competitive. That’s the nature of the beast and I enjoy it.”
He then added: “We’re not as financially competitive anymore … that’s long gone.
“It’s something that’ll never happen again, where you have two actors in the same genre, literally going for it – on-screen, off-screen.”
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