Sylvester Stallone’s evergreen and iconic Rocky franchise has always been a source of great entertainment, including its backstage Easter eggs. Thus, with the fans growing attached to the series and its familiar faces, Talia Shire’s story is worth mentioning. Having a recurring and significant presence, Shire played Stallone’s love interest for five films.
However, in the end, Talia Shire’s character was eventually written off from the franchise. Considering the actress’ dedication towards the franchise, Sylvester Stallone broke the news personally to Shire. He further mentioned being upset about the fact that Shire’s character never got enough love and attention, despite the grand success of the movie.
Also read: Sylvester Stallone “Furious” $1.7B Rocky Franchise Treated Him Like an Employee, Not an Owner
Sylvester Stallone Became The Bearer Of Bad News
Set up against serious competition, Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky franchise broke records to stand among all-time great works of cinema. Appearing onscreen as the pivotal character, with Talia Shire’s Adrian being his love interest, the movie navigated through bizarre routes over its decades-long lifespan.
Although Sylvester Stallone‘s acting skills are beyond comparison, his co-star Talia Shire evidently matched his level of enigma. Winning the role through a simple audition process, Shire became one of the main pillars of the franchise. Ever since she began her journey, Shire had been a recurring and significant presence onscreen.
However, eventually, the day came when Shire’s character was written off, despite Stallone planning on having her for the sixth installment as well. Expressing his honest opinions with USA Today, Stallone said,
“In the original script for [Rocky Balboa], she was alive. But it just didn’t have the same dramatic punch. I thought, ‘What if she’s gone?’ That would cut Rocky’s heart out and drop him down to ground zero.”
Thus, cutting her off from being a part of Rocky’s further journey, Sylvester Stallone gave the news to Shire personally. “I told her, ‘Talia, you’re the heart and soul of this movie, but you’re just here in spirit,” Stallone mentioned. He further added,
“I told her, ‘Here’s the good news, I think I figured out the story. I think it works, it really works. Bad news is…we start off at your gravesite.”
Sylvester Stallone Was Upset For His Co-star Talia Shire
Being the bearer of the bad news for Talia Shire, Sylvester Stallone expressed his gratitude and appreciation for the actress. However, writing off Shire’s character made him realize something bizarre that he never imagined witnessing. Hoping to see remorse in fans’ eyes, Stallone came up with his sixth sequel to the franchise. However, to the actor’s surprise, fans didn’t reciprocate as they were expected to.
Despite personally considering Talia Shire‘s performance as a crucial aspect in the $1.7B success of the Rocky franchise, Sylvester Stallone felt his co-star’s contributions were not recognized enough.
“I don’t think that she was ever given the full credit for the success of the whole Rocky series because without her there is no him.”
Discussing his appreciation for his co-star, Stallone mentioned, “[Rocky] could look in the mirror. ‘Wow I amounted to something,’ and that was due to her,” in his documentary. However, failing to evoke the same amount of affection and appreciation in his fans, for Shire’s Adrian, Stallone felt his co-star deserved more recognition for Rocky.
Source: USA Today, The Making of Rocky Vs. Drago
