Arnold Schwarzenegger Had A Hilariously Petty Reason for Playing Mr. Freeze in Batman & Robin

The iceman cometh! While maligned by both critics and fans alike, 1997’s Batman & Robin had no shortage of star power, including Arnold Schwarzenegger as the villainous Mr. Freeze. By ’97, Schwarzenegger was at the peak of his career, with his roles in The Terminator, Conan the Barbarian, and Predator cementing him as one of the biggest action stars of the decade. The tragic, pun-loving Mr. Freeze was a stark departure from Schwarzenegger’s heroic leading man roles, adapting a version of the villain popularized just years earlier in Batman: The Animated Series, with the Emmy Award-winning episode “Heart of Ice.”

For fans, Schwarzenegger’s campy portrayal of the beloved villain was just one of many issues present in Batman & Robin. But when it comes to the question of why Schwarzenegger took the role in the first place, the answer can be traced to the actor’s long-running feud with fellow action star Sylvester Stallone. As Schwarzenegger himself would reveal, a desire to make more money than Stallone would lead him to becoming Mr. Freeze.

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Rivalry With Sylvester Stallone Made Him Take The Role Of Mr. Freeze

If there was one star who could rival Arnold Schwarzenegger in the ’80s and ’90s, it was Sylvester Stallone. Between the Rocky and Rambo film franchises, Stallone was a big name, and with big names comes big money. Drawing in both fans and box office success, a heated rivalry would ignite between Stallone and Schwarzenegger, each actor trying to one-up the other, be it through more cinematic kills, bigger weapons, or a bigger salary.

Speaking with Bert Kreischer and Tom Segura for the 2 Bears, 1 Cave podcast, Schwarzenegger addressed his past rivalry with Stallone, reflecting on their competition to make more money than the other, stating: “I was getting a million dollars for Conan 2. This was 1983. Then I read, Sly just made a deal for $5 million for a movie. I said, ‘What the f*ck?’” Schwarzenegger would only grow more frustrated as Stallone continued to negotiate a higher salary, remarking: “Eventually I got $10 million for Total Recall in ‘89. And Sly signed for $15 million. I’m like, ‘Jesus Christ, I can’t catch up.’”

Though Schwarzenegger and Stallone would eventually reach a shared salary of $20 million, Schwarzenegger would finally get the chance to one-up his rival when he was offered $25 million for a role in Batman & Robin. Initially, Schwarzenegger didn’t even want the part, not wanting to play the villain. That was until he received another call from Warner Bros. “They say we give you $30 million plus we give you points and back end… and I said, okay,” Schwarzenegger told the podcast.

One has to appreciate the actor’s honesty. Schwarzenegger took the role of Mr. Freeze, partially for money, but primarily out of a desire to beat Stallone at his own game. “This was kind of my way to pay back for all the tortures over the years that he got more than I did,” he said. Whether or not the decision was worth it is up for debate, as Batman & Robin was torn apart by critics and left the Batman film franchise in limbo for nearly a decade.

All that being said, the film is not without its fans. Schwarzenegger himself has embraced the performance, such as when he appeared at the 2024 Oscars alongside Batman Returns villain Danny DeVito. Looking back, Schwarzenegger’s reason for playing Mr. Freeze serves as a funny reminder of a classic Hollywood rivalry, when two men fought to be the biggest action star. If you watch Batman & Robin with this in mind, it makes Schwarzenegger’s performance all the more fun, especially when you know the cold-blooded reason he stepped into Mr. Freeze’s suit.

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