Sylvester Stallone and Dolph Lundgren’s beef is a long-standing Hollywood rumor circulating for decades.

The two actors first worked together on the set of the 1985 film Rocky IV, in which Lundgren played the villainous Soviet boxer Ivan Drago, and Stallone reprised his role as Rocky Balboa.

Sylvester Stallone and Dolph Lundgren
Despite their on-screen chemistry, it’s said that the two actors did not get along behind the scenes.

There have been various reports about the reasons behind their supposed feud over the years.

Some sources suggest that Lundgren’s rising popularity and Stallone’s jealousy over his co-star’s impressive physique were at the root of the conflict. Their beef has caused a stir yet again.

What Went Wrong While Filming The Expendables

During a recent interview with Graham Bensinger on his show In Depth With Graham Bensinger, Dolph Lundgren dropped a bombshell revelation that he almost threw a punch at his co-star and director, Sylvester Stallone, on the set of the 2010 all-star action flick, The Expendables. 

“We had some good times and bad times, kinda like family to some degree,” Lundgren said about Stallone. “He was very harsh on me in a scene in ‘The Expendables’ where he kinda yelled at me in front of the whole crew and had me do about 20 takes on a scene.”

Dolph Lundgren and Sylvester Stallone
Lundgren went on to describe the incident in more detail, recalling how he was overwhelmed with emotion and even shed tears during a lunch break.

He confided in his wife, expressing his frustration and anger towards Stallone, and threatened to leave the movie if Stallone provoked him any further.

The atmosphere on set was tense, but Stallone approached Lundgren and apologized for his behavior.

“We took a lunch break, and I remember I was kind of in tears. I was really upset.

I called my wife that time and I basically just told her, ‘If he says one more word, I’m gonna knock him out and f**k this movie; I’m outta here. I’m just gonna punch him out and f**king leave.’”

Sylvester Stallone And Dolph Lundgren Remain Friends

Despite their patchy past, Lundgren and Stallone have remained close over the years, with Lundgren even making an appearance on Stallone’s recent reality show, The Family Stallone, which is set to premiere on Paramount+.

Fans were delighted to see the duo reunite on the big screen again in 2018’s Creed II, reprising their iconic roles from the Rocky franchise. 

Dolph Lundgren and Sylvester Stallone
Last year, MGM announced plans to develop a new spinoff movie based on the Drago family, with Lundgren set to star as Ivan Drago, Rocky’s infamous Russian opponent from Rocky IV, and Florian Munteanu playing Ivan’s son, who was introduced in Creed II.

However, Stallone spoke out against the project, revealing that he was never informed of its development.

Fortunately, Stallone and Lundgren have managed to bury the hatchet and put their past grievances behind them.

The two actors have even worked together again on two sequels of The Expendables, namely 2012’s The Expendables 2 and 2014’s The Expendables 3, and are set to reunite once more for the upcoming The Expendables 4, scheduled for release in theaters on September 22, 2023, by Lionsgate.