Yahoo movies reported that action stars Steven Seagal, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Chuck Norris were approached by Sylvester Stallone about being in his recently released steroid fest, The Expendables, but were denied roles after they were determined to be “insane.” Sources quoted Stallone as saying:

“I talked to Van Damme. I talked to [Steven] Segal. I even talked to Chuck Norris.” He then added, “But there are certain considerations, like insanity.”

Now, let’s try to put this in perspective. Mickey Rourke is in The Expendables. Mickey Rourke is absolutely nuts. As we all know, he spends a great deal of time as a volunteer firefighter in crazy town, where he is also mayor and lives with his beloved chihuahuas. So, when you are denied from a movie that stars Mickey Rourke because of concerns about your sanity, you’ve done something wrong.

But, as the article goes on to explain, when Van Damme heard the pitch for The Expendables, he suggested that Stallone should instead make a movie where Sly plays a “tough priest.” Uh, okay . . . and Steven Seagal, well, any interview with him kind of puts into perspective just how crazy he really is. Still, I can’t imagine how The Expendables wouldn’t have benefitted from their presence.

Be sure to check out Complex’s list of the best one liners from The Expendables. They are as expected, pretty terrible.