Sylvester Stallone has revealed how his long-running rivalry with Arnold Schwarzenegger once led him to throw a bowl of flowers at the actor during a public event.
Speaking on the episode of The Rest Is Entertainment podcast, the 80-year-old actor recalled how their competition for Hollywood’s biggest action roles turned into a personal feud that lasted around 20 years.
Stallone said he first realised Schwarzenegger would become a serious rival after noticing the actor giving him hostile looks at the Golden Globe Awards. At a later encounter, Stallone responded by throwing a bowl of flowers in his direction.
«The gauntlet was thrown, and it was on,» Stallone recalled.
During the 1980s, the two stars competed for audiences with action films such as Rambo, The Terminator and Commando. Their rivalry extended beyond the cinema, with both actors trying to outdo each other in publicity and on-screen action.
Stallone admitted that he enjoyed the competition because it pushed them to make increasingly ambitious films.
«It was very contentious, trust me, which I enjoyed,» he said.
The tension continued even after they became investors in the Planet Hollywood restaurant chain in 1991. According to Stallone, they disliked each other so much that they struggled to appear on the same stage during promotional events.
How Stallone and Schwarzenegger finally became friends
Their relationship began to improve in 2003, when Schwarzenegger left Hollywood to run for governor of California.
The pair later met at a cigar shop, where they talked about their rivalry and shared a cigar. Stallone said the encounter helped them put their differences aside.
Their friendship eventually led to several film collaborations. Schwarzenegger appeared briefly in Stallone’s The Expendables in 2010 before the actors reunited for The Expendables 2 in 2012, Escape Plan in 2013 and The Expendables 3 in 2014.
Although their relationship changed, Stallone said they still enjoy competing with each other. However, money and box-office success are no longer the main concerns.
The actor also recently discussed the physical cost of his action-film career. In an interview with Fox News Digital, he said injuries sustained during The Expendables contributed to nine back operations, three neck fusions and damage to both shoulders.
Looking back, Stallone admitted that performing so many dangerous stunts had taken a greater toll on his body than he expected
