There are a lot of things Hollywood might want to leave behind heading into 2024, but reminiscing tales of Sylvester Stallone’s rivalry with Arnold Schwarzenegger isn’t one of them.
In an era where the biggest stars are often afraid of letting their true feelings for each other be known, it’s only fair to introduce the new fans and refresh the memory of the old by turning the clock back and shedding a light on the fierce rivalry.
It all started with a flower bowl being thrown from one end of the table to the other and eventually reached the stage where Stallone considered following Schwarzenegger into politics.
Sylvester Stallone Came Close to Extending His Rivalry With Arnold Schwarzenegger Into Politics
Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger became two of the most sought-after stars in the 80s and 90s, as Hollywood producers looked to capitalize on the popularity of muscular physiques in the action genre.
Since both Stallone and Schwarzenegger boasted towering builds (and still do) they often used to swim in the same circle. During the 1977 Golden Globe Awards night, the Terminator actor supposedly laughed at the Rocky star after his movie lost in several categories. Finally, when Stallone’s film won an award for Best Motion Picture – Drama, he threw a bowl of flowers at Schwarzenegger.
The following years saw the pair compete for several roles as they tried to one-up each other at every possible opportunity.
At the turn of the century, the seven-time Mr. Olympia started to actively take part in politics before being elected as the 38th Governor of California on October 7, 2003. As expected, the idea of doing the same ran through the Rambo star’s mind.
Speaking to Variety in 2016, Stallone revealed that he met the mayor of Philadelphia around the time 2006’s Rocky Balboa came to the fore. He purportedly told the actor, “I believe you could be elected.”
“I said to my wife, ‘What do you think?’” Stallone recalled. “She said, ‘Are you crazy? He’s just being nice. You’re not going to be elected. You don’t have that insatiable need to be embraced by people.’”
The Creed star listened to the advice of his wife, Jennifer Flavin, and didn’t follow Schwarzenegger into politics.
Sylvester Stallone-Arnold Schwarzenegger Rivalry Once Got Out of Control
This time Stallone came to his senses and didn’t let his rivalry with Schwarzenegger pull him into politics. But during the 80s and 90s, things often got out of control in the heated race.
During an appearance on The Graham Norton Show (via NME), the Commando star revealed:
“We were movie rivals, but we took the competitiveness to the extreme – we each had to have the best body, we had to kill more people in our films and we had to have the biggest guns. It got out of control and we tried to derail each other.”
However, as they got older, the pair buried their differences and even starred opposite each other in Expendables in 2010. The action flick was a smashing hit and opened doors for several more collaborations between Stallone and Schwarzenegger.
