Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger’s long-standing rivalry stems from the competitive nature of the film industry, despite their current friendship and collaboration on several films. Both actors were hugely influential in the 1980s and 1990s; Stallone with his Rambo films and Schwarzenegger with Conan the Barbarian and The Terminator.
Their long-running competition at the box office fueled deep-seated animosity between them. But Stallone was responsible for combining the two icons in one film series.
When Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone decided to leave rivalry behind
The intense rivalry between Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger was a direct result of the cutthroat atmosphere of Hollywood. In the 1980s, Stallone was the undisputed king of action films thanks to his iconic roles in the Rambo series and other films like Cobra and Tango & Cash.
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On the other hand, the 1980s were ushered in by Schwarzenegger’s iconic roles in Conan the Barbarian and The Terminator. As a result, the two action icons became fierce competitors, each striving to outperform the other at the box office.
In an interview with Forbes, Sylvester Stallone admitted that he and Schwarzenegger had “really disliked each other.” Stallone claims they competed fiercely because they pioneered a new “kind of genre” then.
“We really disliked each other immensely,” Stallone said. “We were… this may sound a little vain, but I think we were pioneering a kind of genre at that time and it hasn’t been seen since really. So the competition, because it’s his nature, he is very competitive and so am I… and I just thought it actually helped, but off-screen we were still competitive and that was not a healthy thing at all, but we’ve become really good friends.”
Even though they used to be rivals, they eventually became good friends and went on to star in many movies after.
Here Come The Expendables
In 2010, Stallone launched The Expendables franchise, an action film series featuring the likes of Stallone and Schwarzenegger, two of the most recognizable actors in the action film genre.
In the first film, Schwarzenegger had a small role and returned to play the same character in the sequels. After it looked like Stallone might lose control of the franchise, Schwarzenegger bowed out of The Expendables 2. Stallone’s persuasion was decisive in bringing him around.
“There is no ‘Expendables’ without Sly. I would never do the movie without him, no.”
Schwarzenegger left the series after the third film because he felt his character was underutilized. The 2013 film Escape Plan, which reunited Stallone and Schwarzenegger, earned $137 million worldwide. Two sequels were made, both of which featured Stallone.
Source: Vanity Fair
