Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone on becoming friends after being rivals

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone reflected on their friendship throughout their careers as the top Hollywood action stars.

In an interview with "TMZ Presents: Arnold & Sly: Rivals, Friends, Icons" that aired on FOX on Tuesday, the actors recalled their past rivalry during the golden age of action movies in the '80s.

"The Terminator" actor admitted that Stallone was "very helpful in my career because I had something that I could chase."

"There's no two ways about that," he said, adding that he "started this whole thing" by "saying stupid things" and "being competitive."

Agreeing with Schwarzenegger, the "Rocky" actor also confessed he also benefited from his then so called competitor at the time.

"I was like finally, something to motivate me. Because he is, dare I say it, competition, a threat, whatever word you wanna use," Stallone added.

He recalled, "As soon as I saw him it was like bang, two alphas hitting."

"If we walked into a party we'd be staring at each other for a few seconds and then 'I gotta get that guy. He didn't do anything wrong but he will,' " Stallone said.

Schwarzenegger said he got too competitive to a point that he went as far requesting a bigger weapon as prop to use in his movie.

"I was running after him," Schwarzenegger explained. "He was not running after me. So I said, when we did 'Predator' — you got to get a machine gun that is normally mounted on a tank or in a helicopter — I said … I got to have a bigger machine gun than he used in 'Rambo.'"

As time went on, eventually, the actors, who have starred in "The Expendables" films and "Escape Plan" together, became good friends.

In the interview, Schwarzenegger said he admires Stallone's "dedication and his passion."

"I wish I could be as passionate about things as he is," Schwarzenegger continued. "It's really unbelievable, and it must come from somewhere because he's a very emotional guy, which I'm not. I'm emotional but not like him. Very different in that way."

Meanwhile, Stallone also gushed over his former rival during the interview, acknowledging that Schwarzenegger "does have a big heart."

"I mean, you wouldn't think it because we're 'action guys,' but we're more emotional than a lot of more dramatic actors, trust me," Stallone added.