Arnold Schwarzenegger Reveals Sly Trick He Employed To Outshine Stallone In The ’90s

In an interview for the upcoming special, TMZ Presents Arnold & Sly: Rivals, Friends, Icons, Arnold Schwarzenegger shed light on a clever maneuver he orchestrated to outmaneuver Sylvester Stallone in the early ’90s, during their epic battle for action star supremacy.

Arnold reminisces about the rivalry that fueled Hollywood during the ’80s, where he and Sylvester vied for the title of the ultimate action hero. However, it was in 1992 when the former California governor and renowned Terminator actor executed a masterful plan to tip the scales in his favor.

The pivotal moment revolved around the film Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot, a project Arnold anticipated would flop. Seizing the opportunity, he and his agent devised a cunning strategy to entice Sylvester into taking the lead role.

Rather than directly approaching Sylvester, Arnold’s agent subtly conveyed Arnold’s interest in the project to Sylvester’s camp. Feigning enthusiasm for the film, Arnold purportedly expressed keen interest to the director, Roger Spottiswoode, renowned for his then-recent work on a James Bond film.

As Arnold revealed, “First of all, when we talk about the movie, I didn’t talk him into [it] because I never talked to him about it. But it was very clear that his agent was telling my agent, ‘Look, Sly is interested in doing it, but I don’t know if it’s the right thing for him. Let me know what you guys are thinking.’ And then my agent said, ‘Well you know, Arnold really loves it. I think it’s fantastic.'”

“So then I called Roger Spottiswoode, who was the director, who just did the James Bond movie, so he was kind of the hot director [at the time],” the Commando actor added.

Sylvester, taken aback by Arnold’s Machiavellian scheme, expressed shock upon learning of the behind-the-scenes manipulation. Unaware of the intricate machinations, he reacted with incredulity as Arnold recounted the details of his covert operation.

“Oh my God, oh my God…You talked to my director?” he reacted.

As Arnold recalls the sequence of events, Sylvester’s competitive spirit compelled his agent to intervene swiftly, ensuring he secured the role. 

“So my agent said ‘Arnold is talking to Roger Spottiswoode now and he’s really into it, I think we’re gonna take the project.’ And then of course [Stallone’s] agent, knowing that he’s competitive with me, he said, ‘Cannot let that happen.’ He then called the studio right away and says, ‘Look, you got to give this to Sly. Don’t give this to Schwarzenegger, you got to give this to Sly.’ And they said, ‘fine, Sly got it.’ I was, of course, absolutely in heaven, because I felt like the only way I could catch up with him is if he [had] a stumble,” Arnold recalled. 

Reflecting on the incident, Sylvester acknowledges the stain it left on his resume, admitting he was “stuck” with the fallout from Arnold’s crafty maneuver.

Despite the past rivalry, Arnold and Sylvester have since buried the hatchet and forged a friendship.