{"id":628443,"date":"2026-10-12T16:16:11","date_gmt":"2026-10-12T16:16:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/628443\/"},"modified":"2026-10-12T16:16:11","modified_gmt":"2026-10-12T16:16:11","slug":"sylvester-stallone-says-that-he-and-former-rival-arnold-schwarzenegger-are-now-good-friends-exclusive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/628443\/","title":{"rendered":"Sylvester Stallone Says That He and Former Rival Arnold Schwarzenegger Are Now \u2018Good Friends\u2019 (Exclusive)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>NEED TO KNOW<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">During a PaleyFest NY 2026 panel on Saturday, Oct. 10, Sylvester Stallone said he and former rival Arnold Schwarzenegger are now &#8220;good friends&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The actor compared their history to his Tulsa King character Dwight Manfredi&#8217;s relationship with Frank Grillo&#8217;s Bill Bevilaqua, a rival mob boss<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;There&#8217;s a respect. We&#8217;re very similar types,&#8221; Stallone, 80, said of their characters during the event. &#8220;It&#8217;s like me and Schwarzenegger,&#8221; he added<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><a data-ylk=\"slk:Sylvester Stallone;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/tag\/sylvester-stallone\/\" class=\"null\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Sylvester Stallone<\/a> is reflecting on his once-contentious rivalry with <a data-ylk=\"slk:Arnold Schwarzenegger;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/tag\/arnold-schwarzenegger\/\" class=\"null\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Arnold Schwarzenegger<\/a>, revealing that they&#8217;re now &#8220;good friends.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Stallone, 80, was discussing his crime comedy-drama <a data-ylk=\"slk:Tulsa King;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/all-about-tulsa-king-season-4-12076091\" class=\"null\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Tulsa King<\/a> during a PaleyFest NY 2026 panel on Saturday, Oct. 10, when he likened their relationship to the on-screen dynamic between his character, Dwight Manfredi, and <a data-ylk=\"slk:Frank Grillo;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/frank-grillo-talks-working-with-marvel-vs-dc-and-which-he-prefers-exclusive-11794621\" class=\"null\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Frank Grillo<\/a>&#8216;s Bill Bevilaqua, a rival mob boss.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Grillo, 61, described the relationship between the characters as having an &#8220;ebb and flow&#8221; throughout the show. &#8220;I don&#8217;t think they trust each other, but there are times when they need each other,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Stallone echoed his sentiment, explaining, &#8220;There&#8217;s a certain camaraderie&#8230; there&#8217;s a respect. We&#8217;re very similar types.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone at the 'Creed' world premiere in Los Angeles on Nov. 19, 2015Credit: Eric Charbonneau\/Getty for Warner Bros\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/people_218\/24060ba3e05500c9cfa5c0eb0bac1ee4.jpg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone at the &#8216;Creed&#8217; world premiere in Los Angeles on Nov. 19, 2015<br \/>Credit: Eric Charbonneau\/Getty for Warner Bros<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">He continued, &#8220;It&#8217;s like me and Schwarzenegger. We&#8217;re good friends now. We&#8217;ve gotten mellow. But you have these two adversarial guys, and sometimes you really find that in real life, that just continues to up your game. That&#8217;s it.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Terence Winter, executive producer of the Paramount+ series, added, &#8220;The essence of any dramatic situation is that kind of conflict&#8230; They&#8217;re so great on screen together. Dwight and [Bill] are really magic, and you just want to write to that.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Stallone and Schwarzenegger, 79, had a well-documented rivalry that&#8217;s believed to date back to the <a data-ylk=\"slk:Golden Globe Awards;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/golden-globes\/\" class=\"null\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Golden Globe Awards<\/a> in 1977. Stallone&#8217;s <a data-ylk=\"slk:Rocky;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/tag\/rocky-balboa\/\" class=\"null\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Rocky<\/a> was nominated in six categories, winning Best Motion Picture \u2014 Drama, while Schwarzenegger won New Star of the Year for Stay Hungry.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Stallone later claimed Schwarzenegger laughed at him when Rocky lost in the other categories. When the movie won its sole award, Stallone reportedly threw a bowl of flowers at his rival.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger at the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France in 1990Credit: Eric Robert\/Sygma\/Sygma via Getty\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/people_218\/dbb7d425f509eb07196f3c81781f0b21.jpg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger at the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France in 1990<br \/>Credit: Eric Robert\/Sygma\/Sygma via Getty<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">In 1985, Schwarzenegger alleged in an interview with now-defunct U.K. newspaper The News of the World that Stallone used body doubles in some of his movies, while the Austria-born star has also admitted <a data-ylk=\"slk:tricking Stallone;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/arnold-schwarzenegger-tricked-sylvester-stallone-into-doing-a-movie-flop-8638089\" class=\"null\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">tricking Stallone<\/a> into doing the 1992 movie Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot, which was panned by critics.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Stallone said in 2022 that the pair <a data-ylk=\"slk:&quot;truly loathed&quot; each other in the 1990s;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/movies\/sylvester-stallone-says-he-and-arnold-schwarzenegger-loathed-each-others\/\" class=\"null\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">&#8220;truly loathed&#8221; each other in the 1990s<\/a>, but by the end of the decade, their rivalry had waned.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Schwarzenegger even invited Stallone to one of his inaugurations as Governor of California, <a data-ylk=\"slk:The Independent;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/arts-entertainment\/films\/news\/arnold-schwarzenegger-sylvester-stallone-feud-b2437255.html\" class=\"null\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">The Independent<\/a> reported.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The pair went on to appear in the first three movies of The Expendables franchise together, as well as the 2013 action thriller Escape Plan.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">In the 2023 <a data-ylk=\"slk:Netflix;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/netflix-shows-to-watch-october-2026-12145390\" class=\"null\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Netflix<\/a> documentary series <a data-ylk=\"slk:Arnold;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/arnold-schwarzenegger-netflix-documentary-biggest-bombshells-7508166\" class=\"null\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Arnold<\/a>, Stallone reflected on his former rival&#8217;s career. &#8220;He wanted to be number one. Unfortunately, he got there,&#8221; he said, while the following year, Schwarzenegger said <a data-ylk=\"slk:the rivalry helped his career;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/arnold-schwarzenegger-rivalry-sylvester-stallone-helped-their-careers-8637736\" class=\"null\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">the rivalry helped his career<\/a> because it gave him something he could &#8220;chase.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"Sylvester Stallone in Paramount+'s 'Tulsa King'Credit: 101 Studios \/ MTV Entertainment Studios \/ Album\/Alamy\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/people_218\/1a66157fba867e629293c040edacf300.jpg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Sylvester Stallone in Paramount+&#8217;s &#8216;Tulsa King&#8217;<br \/>Credit: 101 Studios \/ MTV Entertainment Studios \/ Album\/Alamy<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">In 2025, Schwarzenegger again looked back on their feud, <a data-ylk=\"slk:admitting that they &quot;hated&quot;;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/arnold-schwarzenegger-how-sylvester-stallone-ended-feud-nasty-11757789\" class=\"null\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">admitting that they &#8220;hated&#8221;<\/a> each other. &#8220;We were kind of attacking each other and doing nasty things and saying nasty things about each other and all these stupid things,&#8221; he told <a data-ylk=\"slk:Andy Cohen;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/tag\/andy-cohen\/\" class=\"null\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Andy Cohen<\/a> on <a data-ylk=\"slk:SiriusXM&#039;s;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/shorts\/POd39tZTRNc\" class=\"null\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">SiriusXM&#8217;s <\/a><a data-ylk=\"slk:Radio Andy;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/shorts\/POd39tZTRNc\" class=\"null\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Radio Andy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">He revealed that their reconciliation began with an unexpected business venture.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for <a data-ylk=\"slk:PEOPLE&#039;s free daily newsletter;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/people-news-daily-newsletter-sign-up-8692701\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">PEOPLE&#8217;s free daily newsletter<\/a> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;All of a sudden, I started working with Robert Earl and Keith Parish to create the Planet Hollywood franchise, those restaurants,&#8221; he explained, telling Cohen that he and Stallone&#8217;s lawyer asked him if his rival could get involved.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;That&#8217;s actually a good idea, because it could bring us together. And I wanted that. At that point I had grown out of my craziness,&#8221; he recalled thinking at the time.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Read the original article on <a data-ylk=\"slk:People;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/sylvester-stallone-says-he-and-arnold-schwarzenegger-are-good-friends-now-despite-past-rivalry-12170142\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">People<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NEED TO KNOW During a PaleyFest NY 2026 panel on Saturday, Oct. 10, Sylvester Stallone said he and&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":628444,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[430,156,111,139,69],"class_list":["post-628443","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-celebrities","tag-celebrities","tag-entertainment","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/628443","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=628443"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/628443\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/628444"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=628443"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=628443"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=628443"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}