Stallone Recalls Bitter Rivalry With Schwarzenegger

The 80-year-old actor described the long-running feud with his action-genre rival, which he says ended in the early 2000s.

Updated on Nov. 7, 2026 in Action/Adventure

Graphic halftone poster illustration in black, cream, and red showing two opposing geometric figures in a diagonal face-off, evoking an action-film rivalry. — Sylvester Stallone said on 'The Rest Is Entertainment' that his long-running rivalry with Arnold Schwarzenegger, which he called very confrontational, was settled in the early 2000s. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Sylvester Stallone said he and Arnold Schwarzenegger were very confrontational rivals who competed to lead the action film genre. The two resolved their differences in the early 2000s, Stallone said on 'The Rest Is Entertainment' podcast.

Why it matters

The account offers a firsthand view of the competition between two of the genre's most prominent stars. Stallone's remarks shed light on how the rivalry played out both on and off screen.

Schwarzenegger won the Best Newcomer award at the Golden Globe Awards, a result Stallone reacted to, though the year of the ceremony is not stated in the source material.

The players

Sylvester Stallone

Sylvester Stallone is an American actor and filmmaker best known for the Rocky and Rambo franchises, and he is one of the defining stars of 1980s action cinema.

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Arnold Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American actor and former bodybuilder who became a leading action star and later served as Governor of California.

The details

The rivalry played out on and off screen as the two competed to make the next action film. After Schwarzenegger's run for governor of California, the two met at the same cigar place, where Stallone told him the rivalry was over.

Schwarzenegger won Best Newcomer at the Golden Globe Awards; the year is not specified.
Stallone and Schwarzenegger resolved their differences in the early 2000s.
About 20 years after the rivalry began, Schwarzenegger decided to run for governor of California.

Industry Dynamics

The Stallone-Schwarzenegger competition is a historical example of how star rivalries shaped the action film market in the 1980s. Stallone's recollection adds a personal account to a rivalry the entertainment industry has long treated as a defining feud of the genre.

Viewers interested in this rivalry can revisit the films both actors made during the period, which are widely available through streaming and home video. Stallone's comments are available to listeners of the podcast.

The takeaway

Stallone's account shows that the rivalry was intense but ultimately settled, and it offers a candid look at how two defining action stars competed for the same creative territory.