Hollywood legend Sylvester Stallone has had a career spanning almost 5 decades. From debuting in an adult movie back in the ’70s to playing King Shark in The Suicide Squad, he has not only acted in a myriad of movies but also given birth to one of Hollywood’s most successful franchises like Rocky and Rambo.
Although he maintained a tough-guy action-hero front in front of the camera for the entirety of his career, he admitted that now he has turned into a sort of father figure for the younger actors on set.
And even though he might not enjoy that so much, he seems to appreciate the experience he has gained over the years. Aging, according to him, has added a sort of gravitas to his performance that he never could have brought in his earlier days. And for that, he does not regret his years one bit. However, there seems to be a big regret he still harbors about his choices, that continues to haunt him even today.
Sylvester Stallone appreciates the experience his age brought him
In an interview with Esquire magazine back in 2021, the Rambo star explained how his approach to his craft has shifted over the years. According to him he invests and engages with his craft way more carefully than he would have even a couple of decades ago.
He noted, “At my age, I look at every film like maybe it’s my last bullet. I try to aim it in the right direction and work hard on it. It wasn’t always like that.”
For example, back in the ’80s, it felt to him like he would live forever, so he didn’t focus too much on what he was doing. He added, “I’d have films lined up for the next two years. They’d call them ‘slots’. The most important thing at the time was just to make sure the slots were filled.”
However, like everyone, Sylvester Stallone thinks that he got wiser with age. Saying although his age might slow him down physically here and there, “You add gravitas. Your memory doesn’t, Forget that! But with time, your emotions get weightier.” And he not only appreciates that but also feels like he is better than he ever was.
He feels more relaxed and familiar with his craft and does not squander his opportunities anymore. Stallone noted,
“When you’re between 30 and 40 years old you think you know it all. You don’t know anything. You walk onto a set and there’s a guy 50 years into his career, and that makes you realize how little you really know about what you’re doing.”
And that is exactly what he is experiencing now with himself and also by watching his younger colleagues in the industry. “Look at my face,” he added. “There’s a well-lived life in there. That comes out in your performances. The lines in your face breathe a little bit more into every word. You’ve lived it,” and he absolutely loves how he can portray that in his performances these days.
Sylvester Stallone’s biggest regret of his career still haunts him
Sylvester Stallone explained, that when he was younger he took a lot of things for granted thinking there would always be time to catch up on these things later. What he failed to realize at that time according to him is although he might have time left, the people around him might not. And this is what the biggest missed opportunity of his life taught him.
He noted, “There’s a piece of paper on my wall that says something like ‘Dear Mr. Stallone, I want to congratulate you on your Academy Award nominations for Rocky. Signed, Charlie Chaplin.'” This note from 1977 is what seems to haunt him to this date. He explained,
“I never met Charlie Chaplin. I was really stupid at the time. I was young, thinking, ‘There’s going to be time for that later’. But six months later, he was dead. It’s one of my biggest regrets in life, not grabbing that moment.”
He took this lesson quite hard according to him, and as a result, even now, decades later, he tries not to waste any more time either his or of the people around him.
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And with The Suicide Squad, he tried to bank on that very lesson as this is something he had never before done. It challenged him in ways more than he thought it could have.
As playing a supervillain and trying to portray all their emotional range only through voice acting was quite the feat for him. Thankfully, though, he seems to have enjoyed that very much as he hopes to reprise this role someday again.
Source: Esquire
