Sylvester Stallone Reveals He and Former Rival Arnold Schwarzenegger Are Now ‘Good Friends’ Exclusive
Sylvester Stallone is sharing some great news about his relationship with Arnold Schwarzenegger: they are officially “good friends” now. The 80-year-old action star shared the update during a PaleyFest NY panel on October 10, while discussing his show Tulsa King.
During the panel, Stallone compared his real-life bond with Schwarzenegger to the complex relationship between his character, Dwight Manfredi, and Frank Grillo’s character, Bill Bevilaqua, who are rival mob bosses on the show. Stallone explained that there is a deep respect between them because they are “very similar types.” “It’s like me and Schwarzenegger. We’re good friends now. We’ve gotten mellow,” he told the crowd.
The two Hollywood legends had a very public rivalry that started decades ago, famously at the 1977 Golden Globe Awards. Stallone once claimed Schwarzenegger laughed at him when Rocky lost some categories, and he threw a bowl of flowers at the actor in response. Over the years, the insults kept flying. Schwarzenegger accused Stallone of using body doubles in his films and famously tricked him into making the 1992 flop Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot. By the 1990s, Stallone admitted they “truly loathed” each other.
However, the cold war between them eventually ended, starting with a business deal. Schwarzenegger explained that he was asked to partner with Stallone on the Planet Hollywood restaurant chain. He agreed because he wanted to mend fences and had “grown out of my craziness.” The two went on to star together in the Expendables franchise and the movie Escape Plan, showing that time has definitely softened their once-fierce competition.
