In a world where fame and wealth are paramount, Sylvester Stallone, a legendary action star, best known for playing Rambo, once chose not to take advantage of a lucrative opportunity. And the sum was actually quite large. As a result, it is safe to call it a multimillion-dollar decision.
Well, actor Sylvester Stallone has been active in Hollywood for more than 40 years. He has acted in a wide range of movies, including comedies, dramas, action movies, and even animated children’s stories. A few of his most well-known movie franchises include Rocky (and the follow-up Creed series), Rambo, and The Expendables.
In addition, he has made appearances in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and The Suicide Squad as well.
Over the course of his career, Stallone has taken on an incredible number of roles, but he has also naturally turned down a fair number of opportunities.
While he may have had good reasons for declining the majority of the roles, the actor, 77 had regretted one particular project, which has earned him an enormous financial loss.
When Sylvester Stallone Turned Down a $34 Million Project
Big stars are paid handsomely. However, Sylvester Stallone once admitted that he had once turned down a genuinely sizable salary. And you know the worst part: he worked on this same project for slightly less than he was initially offered.
Stallone talked about the biggest payoff he has ever declined in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. He responded, “I turned down 34 [million],” when asked what the highest sum he had ever received for a role.
This could imply that not only was this the largest payday Stallone has ever declined, but that if he had accepted it, it would have been the largest payday he has ever received.
The seasoned actor further elaborated:
“We were doing ‘Rambo III.’ We thought it was going to be the biggest hit — this was before it came out. And I was paid a fortune for it. Then they go, ‘We want ‘Rambo IV.’ Here it is: Pay or play, 34.’ I go, ‘Let’s not jump the gun here.'”
According to The Hollywood Reporter, since this was in the 1980s, $34 million today would be equivalent to about $85 million.
It Was a Big Mistake
Sylvester Stallone admitted that it might have been a mistake, at least from a financial perspective.
“That’s not a joke. Oh boy, what an idiot. Now I think about that and … wow.”
Well, according to The Hollywood Reporter, a paycheck like that would have been equivalent to $85 million in today’s money. Ironically, the 77-year-old actor later accepted Rambo IV (a 2008 film simply titled Rambo), though probably not for $85 million, but for 25 million.
Consider the fact that $85 million is the amount that some actors in the industry earn in their entire careers. That amount of money is absurdly high even by Hollywood standards.
Therefore, it has been said that The Expendables actor made a significant mistake from which he has never fully recovered: he refused to accept the sizable salary for Rambo IV.
Even though he eventually agreed to take the position for much lower pay, it is clear that this missed opportunity still hurts.
For the unversed, Rambo (2008) made $113.2 million worldwide while having a $47.5–$50 million production budget.
Source- The Hollywood Reporter
