Arnold Schwarzenegger Reveals the Intense Rivalry with Stallone in the 1980s

Arnold Schwarzenegger, the former Predator slayer, admitted that his rivalry with Sylvester Stallone during the 1980s and 90s escalated to an uncontrollable level. This was primarily due to the fact that many of their movies were released in quick succession. Schwarzenegger further elaborated on this Hollywood rivalry during an episode of "The Graham Norton Show" (via NME).

"We were fierce rivals in the movie industry, taking our competitiveness to the extreme. We constantly strived to have the most impressive physique, outdo each other in on-screen body count, and possess the most powerful firearms," revealed Schwarzenegger. "It spiraled out of control, leading to attempts to sabotage one another."

This was not the first instance where either of them mentioned their intense rivalry. Stallone, in an interview with Forbes, also confessed to an intense mutual dislike due to their movies consistently vying for supremacy.

Thanks to Variety, we learned that their relationship was greatly improved when they both made investments in Planet Hollywood. As a result, they began traveling together around the world to promote it, which ultimately led to them becoming close friends. Since then, they have been inseparable.

Stallone acknowledged, "It may sound a bit self-centered, but I believe we were trailblazing a genre during that time, and it hasn't been seen since. So, due to his competitive nature and mine, the competition actually helped us. However, it was not healthy for us to be competitive off-screen. Thankfully, we have now developed a strong friendship."

In the same Variety report, Stallone expresses his belief that Schwarzenegger was the superior actor in the realm of action films. Stallone elaborates, stating that Schwarzenegger possessed all the necessary qualities - a superior physique, strength, and resilience - that added to his on-screen persona. Meanwhile, Stallone humorously acknowledges that he often found himself on the receiving end of beatings, while Schwarzenegger seemed impervious to injury, jokingly comparing him to someone who could fight a dragon and return unscathed with just a Band-Aid.

For more entertainment news, be sure to check out our gallery highlighting the best action movies of the 1980s and our gallery highlighting the best action movies of the 1990s.