Behind Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone’s million-dollar paychecks was a friendly rivalry that pushed them to their best. Their Hollywood battle might have looked intense from an outsider’s point of view; however, Schwarzenegger revealed that there was much more to it.

Fans have always enjoyed comparing Schwarzenegger and Stallone- be it for their fame, success, or massive salaries. During a TMZ Studios podcast, Schwarzenegger revealed how he would always try to build up to Stallone’s massive paychecks, using it as motivation.

“So I didn't boycott his movies or anything like this. I loved when he did Rambo. I loved when he did Rocky. I loved all this stuff. I had to kind of catch up to that, right? It gave me kind of a motivation. And this is what the whole thing was about. It became then very, very competitive, the whole thing,” Schwarzenegger said.

He also gave his take on the salary discrepancy between him and Stallone.

“I made my salary, which was kind of 10% of his. You know, when he got $2 million, I got $200,000. He made $5 million; I got $500,000. So I kind of had to chase behind him. I said, no, this has to stop,” Schwarzenegger said, as per the TMZ Studios podcast, as posted on X.

Schwarzenegger recalled the time when Stallone came home with a $10 million cheque, something even the biggest actors of the time couldn’t boast of.

However, the friendly rivalry pushed both Schwarzenegger and Stallone to chase bigger hits, eventually leaving them with some of the biggest paychecks in Hollywood.

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone's Hollywood Paydays Compared

Bodybuilding legends who eventually turned into Hollywood icons, Schwarzenegger and Stallone’s rivalry has been an unforgettable one.

However, while fans were busy watching their on-screen rivalry, these two were busy earning jaw-dropping salaries, becoming two of Hollywood’s most iconic money-makers.

As most fans already may know, Schwarzenegger's biggest reported paycheck came from Terminator 3. The bodybuilding icon and actor earned about $29 million from the movie, per IMDb.

Stallone, on the other hand, earned around $20 million through writing, producing, and owning Driven.

Schwarzenegger also earned around $25 million for his role as the iconic T-800 in Terminator Genisys, as well as for playing Mr. Freeze in Batman & Robin.

Similarly, Rocky V and Rambo III helped Stallone earn $15 million (for both his writing and acting).

Their on-screen rivalry was never about proving who was the bigger star. It was simply about two legends hyping each other up and motivating each other to become bigger and better.

Who would you pick as a favorite between Schwarzenegger and Stallone?

Let us know in the comments, and follow BodyBuilding Bros for more such interesting content.

Written by

Avantika Das

Edited by

Zaid Quraishi