Hollywood legendsSylvester StalloneandArnold Schwarzeneggerhad a rivalry that persisted for many years, but which one is the superior action movie star? Fans of each actor will have their own opinions, but if you were to ask Stallone, he’d say it was Schwarzenegger. It’s something theRockystar said in the newArnolddocuseries streaming on Netflix, which details how the two actors had always been trying to outdo one another to be the very best of the genre. “The ’80s was a very interesting time because the definitive ‘action guy’ had not really been formed yet,” Stallone says, perEW. “Up until that time, action was a car chase likeBullittorThe French Connection, and a film all about intellect and innuendo and verbal this and verbal that.“Stallone was ushering in big changes to the action genre withFirst Bloodin 1982, but he knew he had some serious competition on his hands when Schwarzenegger would start making waves soon after with movies likeThe TerminatorandCommando. Schwarzenegger says that anytime Stallone came out with another great action movie likeRambo II, that only served as inspiration to try and outdo that. Stallone also recalls just how tense the competition felt, comparing it to a feud between two heavyweight boxers.“We became incredibly competitive,” Stallone remembers. “Like [Muhammad] Ali and [Joe] Frazier, or great warriors that are traveling the same course: There was only room for one of us.” Ultimately, Stallone would accept defeat, declaring theLast Action Heroactor to be the “superior” star. “He was superior. He just had all the answers,” as Stallone puts it. “He had the body. He had the strength. That was his character.“With that said, Stallone also points out that the two actors have very different “styles of acting” that work for their respective films. Something he’s noticed is that he tends to play characters who take a pummeling before making a comeback, while Schwarzenegger tends to play dominant soldiers who almost always have the upper hand in combat.“I had to get my ass kicked constantly, whereas Arnold, he never got hurt much,” Stallone says. “And I’m going, ‘Arnold, you could go out and fight a dragon and you’d come back with a Band-Aid.'“Related:How Arnold Schwarzenegger Is Completely Dominating Netflix
The Rivalry Became a Friendship
Eventually, the two actors would come to be friends, and neither sees the other as a rival at this point. They have collaborated on multiple occasions, with Schwarzenegger appearing in three of Stallone’sExpendablesmovies. The two also co-starred in the 2013 movieEscape Plan. They also like to hang out away from movie sets, which includes carving pumpkings together for Halloween last year.
Schwarzenegger is still in action in the action genre, playing a secret agent in the new Netflix seriesFUBAR. As for Stallone, he will be delving back into the genre for aCliffhangersequel that’s in the works. For now, fans can see the real Stallone spending time with his family in the Paramount+ reality showThe Family Stallone.
