Sylvester Stallone is best known for his iconic roles as Rocky Balboa in the Rocky film series and John Rambo in the Rambo series. These roles not only solidified him as a legendary figure in the action genre but also contributed to his status as a Hollywood icon.
No doubt, Rocky was the turning point for Stallone, which launched his career. His movie kickstarted a franchise that’s still punching today. When the actor was a small fry in the movie biz, he wrote the screenplay for Rocky in just three days.
But before Sylvester Stallone became the action king, his Rocky script was seen as a big risk in Hollywood. When studios came knocking, the actor became “selfish” and refused to allow them to make the movie if he couldn’t play the lead. Little did they know, it would be one of the top ’70s flicks, but Hollywood didn’t know that yet.
Sylvester Stallone’s Struggles Ignited the Creation of an Iconic Sports Movie
Unlike other mega hits, Rocky wasn’t cooked up together by a whole bunch of committees. Yes, right, it all started with one guy – Sylvester Stallone. The story of how Sly got his idea going is pretty legendary.
He turned down a fat paycheck for the script because he knew he had to play the lead. So, he took a smaller payday, snagged the starring role, and bet that the movie would be a hit. And guess what? It paid off big time!
For Stallone, it was crystal clear from the start. In 1977, he sat down with BBC film presenter Barry Norman and blew the gaff. He talked about how the issues he faced with Hollywood at the time pushed him to build what would become one of the greatest sports movies ever. He said:
“I felt at the time that cinema, at least the movies that I had been seeing, were at an all-time low. Everything was anti-society, anti-Christ, anti-government, anti-everything, and there was no one to root for.”
Stallone continued:
“I wanted to get back to the cycle of the films of the ’40s and the ’50s. People say ‘I miss the good, old films’, yet Hollywood hasn’t taken heed and hasn’t made any good, old-fashioned type films where morality was at the forefront.”
The devotion of Stallone made Rocky one of the most inspiring stories, which Hollywood lacked at that time.
Sylvester Stallone Become “Selfish” for Rocky
Things were bad for Sly in the early 70’s. He was broke and struggling to make ends meet. The worst was yet to come. So, whenever he auditioned, he was rejected over a thousand times.
Later, he secured a few roles, but they were small (like either playing a thug or an extra), which were not even enough to pay the bills. That’s the reason Stallone also admitted to BBC there was a “selfish” edge to the process. It was because he had mostly given “lame roles” in the new movies but wanted something more.
Rocky was released, grossed over $200 million, and won three Oscars. Stallone himself was nominated for best actor. Although he didn’t win, he won in life. Sylvester Stallone was born to be a star, and he proved it.
Watch Rocky on Prime Video.
Source: BBC
