Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone are one of the most demanding actors of their generation. Having almost similar timelines in the Hollywood industry, the duo faced intense competition. Not just that, they have even addressed their rivalry on several occasions which is why they even avoided working together throughout the 80s and 90s.
There was a time when the duo was even considered to star together in an action-thriller film in the 90s which could have been much more successful. However, their rivalry became the ultimate barrier which never made the project their own.
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone Were First Choice in Face/Off
The 1997 film, Face/Off starred John Travolta and Nicolas Cage as the leading actors in the action film. The duo’s performance was widely acclaimed along with the stylized action sequences in the John Woo-helmed film.
Due to the critical success, it grossed over $245 million worldwide making it the 11th highest-grossing film of that time. However, the original stars were not the first preference as the producers wanted to cast Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone in the leading roles.
While their on-screen presence together would have largely impacted the film, it was difficult in the first place due to their intense rivalry.
Now that the duo has already worked together in the Escape Plan and The Expendables film series, it is quite clear that they are quite compatible and considered among the highly demanding duo in the industry.
The infamous Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone’s Rivalry
The duo has one of the highly publicized rivalries as they never hold back to give a bitter taste to each other on several occasions. Especially during the time of 1980s-90s, both were at the peak of their career which meant that they tried their very best to outdo each other.
Their rivalry was reported to have started at the 1977 Golden Globe ceremony. Referring to the same, Stallone even confessed to Variety that “even our DNA hated each other.”
Their beef continued to grow larger with time as the former Governor of California once shared,
“I’d be angry at hearing my name mentioned in the same breath as Stallone’s.”
Their beef was so intense that their personal lives were even dragged into it. After a cut-throat competition, it eventually subsided in the late 90s. They started opening up to each other and kept an end to a longtime feud. They have even starred together in a few films and were even spotted on each other’s occasions.
Source: MovieWeb
