Why Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, And Arnold Schwarzenegger Turned Down The Simpsons

There are enough stars that have cameoed in "The Simpsons" to cover the entire Springfield Walk of Fame and back again. Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep, U2, and Daniel Radcliffe (who has voiced more than one character) are just some of the names that've shared the animated space with Homer (Dan Castellaneta) and the rest of that beloved family. Three names that you have never seen on the end credits, however, were three iconic action heroes that were scheduled to make an appearance but unfortunately never did: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, and Bruce Willis.

It turns out that the heroes who dominated the silver screen in the '80s and early '90s never swung by the home of 742 Evergreen Terrace, even after they were explicitly written into an episode. Season 5, episode 10 of "The Simpsons," entitled "$pringfield (or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Legalized Gambling)," saw Mr. Burns (Harry Shearer) open a casino, and Schwarzenegger, Stallone, and Willis agreed to get in the recording booth for the episode as long as their newly opened chain of restaurants, Planet Hollywood, would be written into the plot. While the writing team adhered to the request, it was no match for the trio's busy schedules, which ultimately had no space for coming on the show after all. As a result, the Planet Hollywood plug and its owner's appearance was ripped from the episode entirely, and none of the aforementioned stars have turned up in the show since. Be that as it may, the series hasn't stopped making jokes about them, including one recurring character that spoofed Schwarzenegger himself.

The history of celebrity cameos in "The Simpsons" not going well doesn't just stop with Schwarzenegger, Stallone, and Willis. Jim Carrey backed out of a poorly received episode, and some guest appearances have aged as poorly as Fat Tony's rat milk. Even so, one character that felt like a compromise for the missed visit from Arnie was Springfield's own action star, Rainier Wolfcastle (also Harry Shearer), along with another Simpsonized Schwarzenegger variant that made his way into the Oval Office.

Debuting in season 2, episode 12, Rainier Wolfcastle was an indiscreet riff on Schwarzenegger both in appearance and voice. An Austrian action star, just like the longtime Terminator himself, Wolfcastle was a hilarious take on Arnie, making terrible puns with a deadpan delivery just like the real deal. You might remember him from such films as: "McBain," "McBain II: You Have the Right to Remain Dead," and don't forget about "I Shoot Your Face" and "I Shoot Your Face Again." Over the years, the character has become more than just a cutaway gag, with Milhouse (Pamela Hayden) dating his daughter at one point and Homer even taking exercise tips from Wolfcastle after accidentally wandering into a gym.

It was in "The Simpsons Movie" that the writers went the extra mile, though, by including the character of President Schwarzenegger. While never fully confirmed to be the Schwarzenegger we know and loved, the appearance and voice made it obvious who the writers were poking fun at, even if he was there to lead and not to read.