“You’re afraid..that’s called being a coward”: Sylvester Stallone’s Wife Shamed Him After He Refused to Play Rocky in Michael B Jordan’s ‘Creed’

Sylvester Stallone spawned a franchise with the release of Rocky back in 1976. This movie gathered enough fame and love to create multiple sequels throughout the years. The Rocky franchise, however, grew into something much greater in 2015.

With the release of the 2015 movie Creed, the Rocky franchise turned into a cinematic universe. Although Sylvester Stallone reprised his role of Rocky Balboa in the franchise, there was a time the actor disagreed with the director until his ex-wife called him a coward!

When Sylvester Stallone’s Wife Called Him A Coward

It was back in 2015 that director Ryan Coogler (known for directing Black Panther) approached Sylvester Stallone with a story. With Adonis Johnson as the lead character, the story would focus on his journey as a boxer with the help of a dying Rocky Balboa by his side.

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Well, although Stallone wanted to portray the role, there was a minor problem that he was unsure about. In the movie, Balboa had been diagnosed with cancer and thus, Stallone would have to act weak and as if he was dying. As per the actor, Sylvester Stallone thought the people wouldn’t like to see a weak Rocky Balboa and was hesitant to join the film.

“To resurrect Rocky under the premise that you’re dying is a tough sell. I kept saying, ‘I’d be interested, but can the neighbor be sick, and Rocky helps?’ I didn’t know if people wanted to see him sick.”

The actor further continued that it was his wife Jennifer Flavin who called him a coward for not trying something he was uncomfortable with.

“’You’re afraid to do something you’ve never done before. That’s called being a coward.’ She was right.”

Well, her wise words indeed paid off since Stallone eventually decided to star in Creed which turned out to be an important point in his Hollywood career.

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Sylvester Stallone Earned Big By Starring In Creed

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Although the actor has had decades of experience in Hollywood, he has never won an Oscar. It has not changed but one thing that Creed brought him was the chance to get nominated. The actor won the Critics’ Choice Award under the category of “Best Supporting Actor”.

Sylvester Stallone also went on to earn the Golden Globes under the category of “Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture” for Creed. Alongside this, Stallone was also nominated for the same category at the Oscars 2016 for Creed. Stallone was last seen portraying the role of Rocky Balboa in Creed II. 

The Creed franchise is available to stream on Prime Video.

Source: The Post And Courier