It wasn’t just his karate skills that set him apart from many of his peers that made Jean-Claude Van Damme one of the biggest action stars in the world – and yet he was one of the few to make it through the first time of the Expendables. big action top Absence was conspicuous, even attracting old competitors (and current friends) Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone for the first time together in front of the camera (three years before they even starred together in ‘Escape Plan’).
Stallone or Schwarzenegger? In the 80s and 90s, every movie lover probably had an opinion about this – that’s all Jean-Claude Van Damme no exceptionin an interview with the from 1991 was asked to what extent he compared himself to the two action legends and which of the two he actually admired more (here the conversation is archived).
Jean-Claude Van Damme thinks only Sylvester Stallone is a “really good actor”
The answer from the Belgian, who broke through in the second half of the 80s with ‘Kickboxer’ and ‘Bloodsport’, was quite clear – even if he first took the time to praise a whole host of other actors: ‘I, I have a lot of respect for Christopher Walken,” said Van Damme. “Did you see him in ‘King Of New York’? [ein Gangsterfilm von Abel Ferrara aus dem Jahr 1990, Anm. d. Red.] Steve McQueen and Paul Newman are great. I think their films have quality. ‘Rocky’ and ‘Rambo’ were also full of drama and passion. But Arnold doesn’t touch me. I love movies like ‘The Godfather’ and ‘The Ones Who Walk Through Hell’. These are films with very good actors and real talent.”
Via the flower, Van Damme said that he didn’t think Arnold Schwarzenegger – unlike Sylvester Stallone – was particularly talented and not a particularly good actor!
Van Damme did not want to play a leading role in ‘The Expendables’.
Despite his admiration for Stallone, the ‘Sudden Death’ star declined when asked if he wanted to be part of the first ‘The Expendables’ film: ‘Stallone offered me a role in his next film, but I asked him about it subject, about the story. He just said, ‘You’re going to make a lot of money,’” Van Damme explained (through ). “I don’t want to hear that, I want to know what my role is. He couldn’t say exactly what it would be. He was like, ‘You know, the fights will be good.’ (…) So I didn’t make the film.”
Many others – from Jason Statham to Jet Li to Dolph Lundgren and Mickey Rourke – were undeterred and “The Expendables” became a huge success, as did its sequel. By the way, Van Damme was there in the end – although not as a hero, but as a villain!