Hollywood veterans Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone are set to open up about their age-old rivalry, box-office clashes, competitive spirit and newfound friendship on TMZ’s Arnold and Sly: Rivals, Friends, Icons, a show slated to air on channel Fox on Tuesday at 8 pm ET (5:30 am on Wednesday in India).
“My buddy Arnold and I sat down with TMZ to set the record straight on our decades long rivalry and friendship. Check it out tomorrow at 8pm est on Fox. Keep punching,” wrote Stallone alongside the video on Instagram on Tuesday.
The two actors competed fiercely in the 1980s for the title of Hollywood's top action star. Their first encounter dates back to 1977 when they were seated at the same table during the 34th Golden Globe Awards. At that time, Stallone's Rocky (1976), had received six nods but ended up winning just one award. Meanwhile, Schwarzenegger went on to bag the New Star of the Year award for Bob Rafelson’s comedy drama Stay Hungry.
In a subsequent interview, Stallone revealed that Schwarzenegger had laughed at him when Rocky didn't sweep multiple categories. The tension escalated when Rocky finally won Best Motion Picture - Drama, prompting Stallone to throw a bowl of flowers at Schwarzenegger during the award ceremony.
Their rivalry extended beyond public jabs, with both actors tricking each other into taking roles in films they knew would be a flop. This competitive spirit spiralled out of control, as each of them tried to have the best physique, the highest “body count” in their films and the most impressive weaponry.
“You killed 28 people in the movie, I killed 32,” says Schwarzenegger in the teaser video, recalling their old rivalry.
However, when they both invested in Planet Hollywood, a themed restaurant chain launched in New York City on October 22, 1991, they had to travel the world together to promote it. This resulted in them burying the hatchet and forming a strong bond in the process.
Schwarzenegger even invited Stallone to events during his time as Governor of California, and Stallone participated in Schwarzenegger's re-election campaign. Their reconciliation led to them collaborating in several films including The Expendables franchise.
In the teaser video, both Schwarzenegger and Stallone acknowledge that they pioneered a kind of genre at that time which does not exist any longer.
“We started something that I don’t think exists anymore,” said the Rambo star.
Arnold and Sly: Rivals, Friends, Icons will be available for streaming on Hulu from Wednesday onwards.
