Making his debut with the 1988 film Above the Law, Steven Seagal turned from a martial artist to an actor who knew just how to put those skills to use. Soon, he became somewhat of a legend in 90s action movies, and his film Under Siege was even nominated for two Academy Awards.
However, Steven Seagal has time and again found his name in headlines and not for the right reasons! Thanks to his candid personality, the actor is not afraid to speak his mind and some might even call it a bit overbearing. His opinions on others around him were met with remarks as he sometimes believed he was a much better martial artist than them. Jean-Claude Van Damme was one such actor who found himself at the tip of Steven Seagal’s sword.
Steven Seagal Dissed Jean-Claude Van Damme
A lot of people would agree that Jean-Claude Van Damme is one of the most legendary martial arts action stars we have seen. However, Steven Seagal does not resonate with these feelings. During his appearance on The Arsenio Hall Show, he was asked by the host if he knew Van Damme to which he replied, “no.” He then confirmed that he had heard of the man.
Seagal was asked for his thoughts on Van Damme being from the martial arts world, just like him. When Hall stated that Van Damme “was a champion somewhere,” Seagal replied,
“I promised all my mentors that I was going to be a good boy. I think that’s a matter of opinion that he was a champion anywhere. And I mean, I’m not being catty or anything, I wish the guy all the best. But there are an awful lot of people who say that’s not true.”
When asked to name a “legitimate Hollywood tough guy” on AXS TV, Seagal was at a loss for words. To help him out, the host listed the names of Michael Jai White and Van Damme, and the Hard to Kill actor replied stating, “Can I laugh in your face?” He even stated that he does not think that Van Damme was either a tough guy or a martial artist.
Jean-Claude Van Damme Replies to Steven Seagal
After all had been said and done on Segal’s part, people were waiting to see if Van Damme would address the actor’s words about him, which he did. In an interview with Movieline in 1994, the Bloodsport actor spoke about Seagal stating,
“Well, he is a good guy, but he’s too tense. I saw him in Planet Hollywood and said, ‘Hey, Steven, you speak bad about me on TV. Why? I said, ‘Come on, look, I’m a nice guy. Am I a bad guy?’ I shook his hand, he relaxed. It’s not my problem.”
In 2008, Van Damme even challenged Seagal to step outside into Sylvester Stallone’s backyard during a party. He was absolutely done with his claims that he could “kick his a**” and wanted to settle it once and for all. However, Seagal declined the invitation according to Stallone. Stallone stated, “Seagal made his excuses and left.” Was he afraid of the guy who he thought wasn’t tough or a good enough martial artist?
Source: YouTube
