The reason Arnold Schwarzenegger ended his “nasty” feud with Sylvester Stallone
Though he may have been born in Austria, few people embody the ‘American Dream’ quite like Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Born into an ordinary family, he followed his ambition of bodybuilding all the way to the United States, where his unique appearance opened doors in Hollywood. Schwarzenegger more than made the most of his opportunity, becoming one of the biggest stars in the history of cinema, and easily one of the most recognisable.
All of this, of course, goes without mentioning his political career, his business successes, and his advocacy for good causes. When you’re at the top, however, you’re very rarely alone.
Around the time that Schwarzenegger was making a name for himself, another muscular actor with a highly imitable voice was also making waves. Sylvester Stallone first met Arnie when they were both nominated at the 1977 Golden Globes ceremony. The Austrian picked up the ‘New Star of the Year’ award, while Stallone’s film Rocky was named ‘Best Motion Picture – Drama’. The two were placed on the same table and, apparently, didn’t get along, setting in motion a rivalry that would dominate Hollywood for the next two decades.
Where did the feud begin?
A number of major Stallone and Schwarzenegger releases would go head-to-head. Conan the Barbarian came out in the same year as both Rocky III and First Blood. The next films in both franchises were released in the same year Arnie appeared in Commando. There were more direct shots fired as well. Some claim that Dolph Lundgren’s Ivan Drago from Rocky IV was modelled on Schwarzenegger, just so Stallone would have a chance to beat up his rival on film, while Arnie’s character makes fun of a poster of John Rambo in Twins. Schwarzenegger also managed to trick his nemesis into taking a part in the dreadful action-comedy, Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot.
“We hated each other,” Schwarzenegger told Radio Andy during a 2025 interview. “We were kind of attacking each other,” he said (via People). “Doing nasty things and saying nasty things about each other and all these stupid things.”
The feud made for spectacular tabloid reading, and probably didn’t do either man’s career any harm. Like with all good action sequences, however, there must be a climax.
In the early 1990s, Schwarzenegger became involved in Planet Hollywood, a chain of restaurants inspired by Tinseltown. ‘The Governator’ was one of the venture’s initial investors, alongside Bruce Willis and Demi Moore, but there was one more piece of the puzzle that needed to fall into place.
Stallone and Schwarzenegger just so happened to share the same lawyer. One day, Arnie got a phone call from said lawyer, asking if his other client might be able to get a piece of the Planet Hollywood action. “That’s actually a good idea,” he recalls thinking at the time. “It could bring us together. And I wanted that. At that point, I had grown out of my craziness.”
The foes-turned-business partners helped launch the chain and turn it into a very popular attraction. Since burying the hatchet, the two juggernauts have even appeared in a few films together, such as 2013’s Escape Plan and a number of the ‘Expendables’ movies. As it turns out, you only need one thing to end a decades-long rivalry – the opportunity for both parties to make loads of money.
