In Hollywood you can declare war with nothing more than a bouquet of flowers. Especially when at the table sit Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger, two men not inclined to yield the last word to the other. Before their joint appearances and jokes as old friends, there was a rivalry between the two stars capable of accompanying an entire season of action cinema. To understand how it began, one must go back to a night when Rocky Balboa still had to win his Oscars.
Stallone and Schwarzenegger: The Spark at the 1977 Golden Globes
The first meeting dates back to the 1977 Golden Globes. Stallone arrived with Rocky, the film that had changed his life; Schwarzenegger was nominated as Best Newcomer for Stay Hungry, an accolade he would win. The award for Best Dramatic Film went to Rocky.
What made that evening memorable, however, was what happened at their table. In a retelling shared by the two actors even at the 2012 Comic-Con, Schwarzenegger enjoyed provoking Stallone while his film trailed in the other categories. When Rocky finally claimed the victory, Sly hurled the flowers from the table at his colleague.
The sequel would unfold on a scale far >than a petty exchange during an award ceremony. Both men wanted to reach the top, and more importantly, both had identified the other as the opponent to beat.
Muscles, Weapons, and the Left Hook of a Comedy
In the eighties, comparing Stallone and Schwarzenegger became almost inevitable. On one side the man behind Rocky and Rambo; on the other the physical presence of Conan and the unstoppable machine of Terminator. Different characters, yet united by the ability to command the screen and make the actor’s body a central part of the spectacle.
The rivalry thus came to concern every detail: physique, the size of the weapons, how invincible the protagonist could appear. Watching those films today, part of the fun is recognizing that constant chase. Each new feat seemed to raise the bar for the rival.
The most teasing episode, however, concerns a comedy: Stop, or My Mom Will Shoot, released in 1992. Schwarzenegger has said he read the screenplay and judged it terrible, then decided to feign interest in the project. The aim was to make Stallone believe there was a role for him to steal.
According to the actor’s account, the ploy worked. Sly accepted the film and found himself starring next to Estelle Getty. Schwarzenegger recalled the prank during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!
From Foes to Teammates
Over time, the rivalry yielded to a solid friendship. In the nineties the two invested in Planet Hollywood alongside Bruce Willis and, in 2005, Stallone donated $15,000 to the campaign for Schwarzenegger’s re-election as Governor of California.
The admiration for Sly became public as well. Stallone described Schwarzenegger as one of the most extraordinary people he had ever met, emphasizing the sheer willpower that allowed him to succeed in three entirely different arenas: bodybuilding, cinema, and politics. From Stallone’s perspective, Arnold left a decisive mark on sport, conquered Hollywood starting from Austria, and then reached the governorship of California. A path that led Stallone to imagine for his friend even a future victory in a bid for the presidency.
The public could also witness this camaraderie on the big screen, in the Expendables series and in Escape Plan. Seeing them fight on the same side added a particularly tasty chapter to a story that began with taunts and flowers tossed at the Golden Globes.
Meanwhile, Stallone’s film career is set to return to the cinema with I Play Rocky, Peter Farrelly’s film about the birth of Rocky, due out on December 31, 2026. And after the young Sly, who knows if the young Arnold will also get his turn: from Austrian gyms to Hollywood conquest, his story would already have all the ingredients for a film.
Comments