In the 1980s, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone were the biggest action stars in the world and fought a sometimes ironic, but sometimes very fierce battle for the crown over the years. And not only with mutual side blows and ever bigger guns, explosions and muscles, but also with nasty tricks:
For example, the anecdote has been handed down that Schwarzenegger expressed interest in starring in the action-comedy pickle “Stop! Or my mother will shoot!”, so that Stallone would do anything to take the role away from him – successfully. It is of course not surprising that the rivalry between the two is also an important part of the new Netflix series ‘Arnold’.
“He wanted to be number 1 and he did it”
In addition to (of course) Arnold Schwarzenegger himself, Sylvester Stallone also speaks in the three-part documentary series. And he admits his Austrian rival probably had the advantage in the title race as a bigger action star. And that despite the fact that Stallone started with a decent lead:
“Sly was ahead of me in the ’80s, so I had to catch up with him,” Schwarzenegger said in Arnold. “Every time he did a movie like ‘Rambo II,’ I had to find a way to top him.” And that’s exactly what he did with movies like ‘Red Sonja’, ‘The Phantom Commando’ or of course ‘Terminator. as Stallone has to admit in retrospect.
According to Stallone, the different image of the two should have played a major role in this: While Stallone’s characters “got their butt kicked all the time”, Schwarzenegger’s characters were able to overcome any obstacle without getting a scratch. “He just had an answer for everything. He had the body. He had the power. That was his character. Arnold was never hurt badly,” Stallone said in the documentary. “He wanted to be number 1 and unfortunately he made it.”
“Sly and I Were at War”
The rivalry between the two action heroes not only manifested itself in their work in front of the camera, but also ensured that the two could not stand each other in real life: “Sly and I were at war”, Schwarzenegger puts it in a position in the documentary series. And Stallone agrees:
“We were incredibly hostile. We couldn’t even stand being in the same room. People had to keep us apart,” said the Rambo star. Both felt that Hollywood was only big enough for one of them.
Fortunately, the two have now patched up their rivalry, as evidenced by the kind words in “Arnold” or joint appearances in movies like “The Expendables” or “Escape Plan.” Schwarzenegger and Stallone have become close friends since the early 1990s.