Playing off: Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991)
Stars involved: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Austin O'Brien.
Quote: “He’s fantastic – it’s his best performance ever.”

Last Action Hero is, of course, a huge barrage of lampshaded action-movie clichés extended into an hour and a half feature film. Where else would Arnold Schwarzenegger play an action hero played by Arnold Schwarzenegger who later meets the real Arnold Schwarzenegger? That’s about as meta as it gets, really.

So picking just one moment of mega-meta is a tough ask, but we’ve gone for the reveal that, in Slater's world (Arnold’s character’s world, that is), Sly Stallone played the T-800 in Terminator 2: Judgement Day – and, presumably, the original too. Rushing to a video store, desperate to prove to Slater that in the real world Arnie played a cyborg, annoying kid Danny (O’Brien) discovers a cardboard poster of Sly playing The Terminator. Slater’s reaction? “He’s fantastic – it’s his best performance ever.” Better than Rocky? Better than you? Oh Arnold, you old wag.

For more Stallone / Schwarzenegger meta-moments, see also The Expendables, Tango And Cash, Twins (Arnold’s biceps are much bigger, to be fair), Demolition Man’s "Schwarzenegger Presidential Library" and Jamie Lee Curtis in True Lies saying "I married Rambo!"