Arnold Schwarzenegger is notorious for playing pranks and messing with his fellow action stars. But The Terminator star may have gone too far when he blackmailed Sylvester Stallone into starring in the critically panned 1992 comedy Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot.
A “Flatworm” Could Write a Better Script
In an interview, Stallone confessed Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot is “one of the worst films in the entire solar system.” The action star said he was essentially forced into starring in the buddy cop comedy flop. Schwarzenegger threatened to make the equally awful film The Last Action Hero at the same time, pitting the action icons against each other.
“I said ‘I want Arnold to do this,’ Stallone recalled. “He tricked me. He’s still gloating.” Stallone knew Stop! had an awful script, saying “A flatworm could write a better script.” But Schwarzenegger’s manipulative challenge gave him no choice but to reluctantly star in it.
Scrambling to Beat Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Film
With Schwarzenegger threatening to steal his thunder, Sylvester Stallone scrambled to make Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot as fast as possible. “I had to beat Arnold’s film into the theatres,” he explained. Despite his misgivings, Stallone agreed to play a gruff cop paired with an overbearing older woman, played by Estelle Getty.
But Stallone’s rush to beat Arnold Schwarzenegger inevitably backfired. Stop! bombed at the box office and was eviscerated by critics as one of the worst films of 1992. Meanwhile, Schwarzenegger’s Last Action Hero performed even worse. Stallone had doomed himself by starring in a notorious flop for nothing.
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Manipulation Succeeded
In the end, Schwarzenegger’s manipulative ploy worked flawlessly. By goading Stallone into starring in Stop!, he tricked his rival into making a career-damaging film.
“He pulled the wool over my eyes with that one,” Stallone admitted. “He’s always been clever – much cleverer than I am.” While both action stars’ films flopped, only Stallone’s reputation took a major hit. 30 years later, he is still asked about the notoriously awful Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot.
Arnold Schwarzenegger goaded his rival Sylvester Stallone into starring in one of his most infamous films, the disastrous comedy Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot. Schwarzenegger’s manipulative challenge prompted Stallone to scramble to make the critically maligned film before Schwarzenegger’s own flop, The Last Action Hero. Stallone took the bait, only to end up starring in a movie so bad he calls it one of the worst in the galaxy.
Source: faroutmagazine
