Arnold Schwarzenegger Once Tricked Sylvester Stallone into Doing Movie He Knew Would Flop

The famed '80s action heroes sat down to discuss their careers for the Fox special 'TMZ Presents: Arnold & Sly: Rivals, Friends, Icons'

Arnold Schwarzenegger was not above using a little trickery to ensure his action movie box office dominance in the '80s and '90s.

During Fox's April 23 special TMZ Presents: Arnold & Sly: Rivals, Friends, Icons, the former California governor, 76, revealed to Sylvester Stallone that he covertly convinced the Rocky actor to star in a movie that he knew would be a flop. The movie in question? The 1992 comedic action film Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot costarring Estelle Getty.

Schwarzenegger revealed that he and his agent worked together on a plan to convince Stallone, 77, to sign on for the movie, because they had a — correct — hunch the comedy would bomb at the box office.

"First of all, when we talk about the movie, I didn't talk him into [it] because I never talked to him about it," The Terminator actor said. "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.' "

Related: Arnold Schwarzenegger Says Sylvester Stallone Rivalry Helped His Career: 'I Had Something I Could Chase'

Schwarzenegger only got craftier from there. He went on to tell Stallone that he spoke with the movie's director, Roger Spottiswoode.

"Oh my God, oh my God," Stallone said, before adding, "You talked to my director?"

The Maggie star said Stallone's agent was quick to take the bait once he found out Schwarzenegger was talking to Spottiswoode.

"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.' "

According to Schwarzenegger, Stallone's agent was quick to put his client forward for the lead role. "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,' " he said.

Schwarzenegger added, "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." Stallone asked, "Can you get more Machiavellian?"

In the film, Stallone plays Sgt. Joe Bomowski, who receives a visit from his meddling mom Tutti (Getty) after he gets his heart broken. Soon, Tutti witnesses a murder, which results in her becoming her son's unlikely partner as she continues to dole out advice about his professional and romantic relationships.

Related: Arnold Schwarzenegger Related to Robert Downey Jr.'s Oscars Speech About a 'Terrible Childhood'

Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot grossed a paltry $70,411,000 worldwide, according to TheNumbers.com. The movie was also panned by critics with The New York Times writing in 1992, "It is terrible. Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot plays as if it were a pilot for a sitcom that wasn't sold in 1975."

Despite their box office rivalry and a history of ups and downs, the two iconic action movie stars are now close friends. Elsewhere in the special, the men shared what they admire the most about one another.

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For Schwarzenegger, it's all about Stallone's "dedication and his passion." He shared, "I wish I could be as passionate about things as he is ... When you talk about scripts or when you talk about your characters you play in movies, I mean, you talk about movies and there’s just so much passion there. It’s really unbelievable, and it must come from somewhere because he’s a very emotional guy, which I’m not."

Stallone revealed that he loves how "rock-steady" his friend is, adding, "He’s like a season that doesn’t change. Very organized, very calculated, very thoughtful."

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