For decades, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone dominated the action movie landscape, crafting some of the most iconic, explosive, and adrenaline-pumping moments in Hollywood history.

But behind the camera, these two titans were locked in a real-life rivalry that was just as intense as anything they portrayed onscreen.

In a candid new interview on SiriusXM’s Radio Andy, Schwarzenegger, now 77, opened up to host Andy Cohen about the long-standing animosity between him and Stallone, 78.

His admission was blunt and refreshingly honest: “We hated each other.”

Their feud reached its peak during the 1980s, a golden age for action films. Both men were in their prime, each commanding blockbuster roles and box office dollars.

In hindsight, Schwarzenegger believes their mutual success bred insecurity and competition.

“We were kind of attacking each other and doing nasty things and saying nasty things about each other and all these stupid things,” he recalled.

Stallone & Schwarzenegger had such a “violent hatred” as leading action movie stars in the 80s/90s that Schwarzenegger faked interest in starring in “Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot” (1992) to trick Stallone into doing it. pic.twitter.com/OuiVWt9bB6

— Hidden Movie Details (@moviedetail) October 14, 2020

But what caused the shift from rivals to friends? According to Schwarzenegger, the turning point came with a business opportunity neither of them saw coming.

“All of a sudden, I started working with Robert Earl and Keith Parish to create the Planet Hollywood franchise, those restaurants,” he explained.

“The next thing I know is I get a phone call from my lawyer, who was also Sly’s lawyer, he said, ‘Arnold, is there any kind of room for Sly in Planet Hollywood?’”

Initially surprised by the question, Schwarzenegger quickly saw the potential in it—not just financially, but personally. “That’s actually a good idea, because it could bring us together,” he remembered thinking. “And I wanted that. At that point I had grown out of my craziness.”

How did Arnold Schwarzenegger go from hating Sylvester Stallone to becoming friends? Listen to the full interview at https://t.co/b9o6gn8qWH pic.twitter.com/LkUa6003eb

— SiriusXM (@SIRIUSXM) June 20, 2025

That decision would mark a turning point. Schwarzenegger, Stallone, and a host of other Hollywood legends—Bruce Willis, Whoopi Goldberg, Chuck Norris—teamed up to launch Planet Hollywood in New York City in 1991.

“Sure enough, we made it work,” Schwarzenegger said. The venture didn’t just bring them together professionally; it broke the ice for a personal relationship to grow.

Their on-screen collaborations eventually followed, most notably in The Expendables franchise and the 2013 action-thriller Escape Plan.

And while they now joke about their rivalry, both men have acknowledged how it pushed them to greater heights.

“We were movie rivals, but we took the competitiveness to the extreme — we each had to have the best body, we had to kill more people in our films, and we had to have the biggest guns,” Schwarzenegger said on The Graham Norton Show in October 2023.

“It got out of control, and we tried to derail each other.”

In an interview from 1991 to promote Planet Hollywood, Stallone, Schwarzenegger and Willis talk about their action movie roles. pic.twitter.com/RA5XLbZhIT

— All The Right Movies (@ATRightMovies) June 25, 2025

Stallone, for his part, recalled what it was like when Schwarzenegger first emerged on the Hollywood scene.

“Finally, something to motivate me. Because he is, dare I say it, competition, a threat, whatever word you wanna use. As soon as I saw him, it was like bang, two alphas hitting.”

Despite the rocky start, both men now see how their rivalry helped fuel their careers—and ultimately, their friendship.

“There’s no two ways about that: He was very helpful in my career because I had something that I could chase,” Schwarzenegger acknowledged.

Fast forward to today, and the feud that once defined their relationship is a distant memory. “We are now fantastic friends,” Schwarzenegger said. “We are now inseparable.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone had a legitimate rivalry during the 80s. Schwarzenegger faked interest in starring in “Stop or My Mom Will Shoot” even though he knew the script was bad in order to trick Stallone into doing it instead. It worked. pic.twitter.com/WCyOhXahuC

— Hidden Movie Details (@moviedetail) November 5, 2019

The evolution of their relationship—from a place of hostility to one of deep camaraderie—offers a powerful lesson in growth, humility, and forgiveness.

In an industry known for egos and grudges, Schwarzenegger and Stallone stand out not just as action heroes, but as men who were willing to put pride aside for something greater.

Their journey reminds us that even the fiercest rivalries can give way to respect—and even friendship—when both sides are willing to grow.