Sylvester Stallone reveals he almost fought Arnold Schwarzenegger amid rivalry - USA Today
Long before they became friends, Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger were sworn nemeses whose mutual disdain nearly escalated into a couple of brawls.
In a Sept. 26 episode of The New York Times' "The Interview" podcast, the "Rocky" actor, 80, shared that he and the former California governor, 79, almost got into a fight once due to their hatred toward each other.
When interviewer Lulu Garcia-Navarro recalled the "Tulsa King" star previously saying he couldn't stand to be in the same room as Schwarzenegger, Stallone said, "I’m telling you, we almost came to blows a few [times]."
Stallone explained that their rivalry stemmed from "The Terminator" actor being a "challenge" with a "Machiavellian cool" that felt threatening.
"I thought I had something going on, then I could see this guy, this immovable force, a very confident human being, I think even more so than me, and more psychological in the way he would manipulate and do things very cunningly. And not in a negative way, but just shrewdly, whereas I was blunt force," Stallone said. "And I went, 'Wow, this is my guy. This is the guy I know I’m going to have trouble with, period.' And sure enough, we did."
USA TODAY has reached out to Schwarzenegger's representative for comment.
The action stars later turned their rivalry into a longtime friendship and "creative marriage" that pushed him further and "turned out to be fantastic." Together, they helped pioneer the '80s over-the-top action genre in Hollywood, which he said will "never quite come around again."
Looking back, Stallone said he regrets some comments he made about Schwarzenegger.
"I’ve had some moments with him, and I’m regretful for some of the things I’ve said about him. But he antagonized me in a creative way, and I did to him. I was a thorn in his side; he was a thorn in my side, but it just forced us to keep moving higher," he said. "Bigger guns, louder movies, and more action, disemboweled bodies, everything,"
Eventually, the two worked together on the "Expendables" film franchise, and Stallone found himself going on the campaign trail for Schwarzenegger, which he called "unbelievable."
Stallone did initially have reservations about Schwarzenegger running for California governor, a position he held from 2003 to 2011.
"At first I thought, Come on, actors in politics? This is oil and water, because actors are very self-absorbed, and politicians, if they’re good, should be the opposite," he said. "But he was definitely sincere about it, and I don’t know why, but he asked me to be at an event. And sure enough, then we hit it off. He’s one of a kind."
Elsewhere in the intimate sit-down, Stallone said his physical transformations as Rocky and Rambo took a toll on his body and health. Although he said his physique initially felt like "armor" as he trained for the parts, maintaining that fitness level became such "an obsession" that he became bulimic.
"I couldn't hold anything down. Or if I did, I didn't want to keep it down because I became so obsessed with staying at the point of fitness," Stallone shared, describing that period as "an obsessive, body worship kind of thing."
He also acknowledged taking steroids, which he said took a "terrible toll" but that depicting a partially deaf, overweight character in "Cop Land" helped him feel "somewhat liberated" from the intense experience.
Looking back, Stallone said, "If I could do it all over again, I would say let someone else carry the banner and don't do your own stunts."
