‘We were like little kids’: Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone recall their body rivalry
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Arnold Schwarzenegger, 76, and Sylvester Stallone, 77 have revealed how they used to compete with each other, especially when it came to their bodies and muscles, when they were rising stars in the action film genre.
The two actors, who are now good friends, shared memories of their friendly rivalry in Sylvester’s new Netflix documentary 'Sly', which explores his life and career, Daily Mail reported.
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone would compete over muscle definition and body fat
Arnold, 76, who was a former bodybuilder and played iconic roles such as 'Terminator' and 'Col John Matrix', said, “We were like little kids."
"Who uses bigger knives? Who uses the biggest guns and holds them in one arm? Who has more muscles, who has more muscle definition, who has less body fat?” he recalled.
He added that he was impressed by Sylvester’s physique when he played Rocky Balboa and John Rambo.
“Sly, all of a sudden with Rambo, he stepped into my arena,” he says at one point.
He adds, “All of a sudden he was ripped with muscles, and everyone [was] talking about his body.”
Arnold said, “And so that created competition of course.”
However, Arnold also said that he and Sylvester, 77, "now look back and laugh at the whole thing."
Stallone and Schwarzenegger 'truly' loathed each other back in the day
The stars who eventually starred together in 2010 'The Expendables' have spoken about their past rivalry.
"We couldn't stand to be in the same galaxy together for a while. We truly, truly loathed each other," Stallone told Insider back in November 2022.
Stallone explained that 'The Terminator' tricked him into taking a role in a movie that Schwarzenegger knew wouldn't be great.
"He's quite clever. He goes around town saying, 'I can't wait to do this film…' I go to my agent, 'Get that thing away from him. Get people options on me.'"
Schwarzenegger has spoken about feeling like 'damaged goods' as he ages
In a recent interview on 'The Howard Stern Show', Schwarzenegger also opened up about his struggles with aging and body image.
He said that he feels like “damaged goods” and that he is not happy with what he sees in the mirror.
“I kind of just smile because every day I do look in a mirror and I say, ‘Yea, you suck.'"
"Look at this body. Look at those pectoral muscles that used to be firm and perky and really powerful with a striation in there. Now they’re just hanging there. I mean, what the hell is going on here?" he fumed in a self-directed rant.