Sylvester Stallone on the 50th Anniversary of “Rocky”: “Behind-the-Scenes Stories” He Revealed to the Author in an Exclusive Interview

“Rocky” Is Not a Boxing Movie

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the release of the first *Rocky* film, the breakthrough role for American actor Sylvester Stallone (80), known for the *Rocky* and *Rambo* series.

A biographical film titled *I Play Rocky* (original title), which chronicles the making of *Rocky*, has been produced, and Stallone has released his memoir, *The Steps* (original title). He has been generating buzz by discussing *Rocky* in an interview with *The New York Times*.

In the film *I Play Rocky*, Anthony Ippolito (27) plays Stallone, and the movie recreates the training regimen Stallone followed. It will have a limited release in the U.S. starting November 13, followed by a nationwide release on November 20.

*Rocky* grossed $225 million worldwide on a production budget of less than $1 million and won Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Film Editing at the 49th Academy Awards. Stallone himself was nominated for Best Actor and Best Screenplay, catapulting him to stardom.

Additionally, in an interview with *The New York Times* late last month to coincide with the release of his memoir *The Steps*, Stallone revealed that during the preparation period for the *Rocky* series, he abused steroids and suffered from binge-eating and purging.

“Eventually, it became an obsession,”

he said, reflecting on how he had focused on building a physique befitting the *Rambo* and *Rocky* series.

The “Rocky” series consists of six films, starting with *Rocky* (1976) and ending with *Rocky Balboa* (2006). When he visited Japan in June 1982 for the promotional tour of *Rocky III*, I had the opportunity to conduct an exclusive interview with him in his hotel room in Tokyo during his stay.

His stories about his struggling days before *Rocky* was released were like something straight out of a movie.

“I was so poor at the time—I couldn’t even pay my rent. My wife (Sasha at the time) was pregnant, and on my 20th birthday, when I didn’t even have enough money for dog food, I was in such agony that I wrote down my suffering on a piece of paper—just like writing a poem. That was the beginning of the *Rocky* screenplay,”

he revealed. He went on to say that he then took the finished screenplay and went from one movie studio to another.

“One film studio offered to buy the script for $300,000 (about 88.8 million yen at the exchange rate at the time).But they said they didn’t want me (as an actor). I thought I’d regret it for the rest of my life if I didn’t take this role, so I said I’d do the first film (writing the screenplay and starring in it) even without a paycheck. It turned out to be a massive hit—one I couldn’t even believe myself.”

Starting with the second film, he took on the role of director in addition to writing the screenplay and starring in the film (the first and fifth films were directed by John G. Avildsen). When asked why he chose boxing as his subject,

“Boxers have this image of being fighters, and it’s dramatic. It’s the very essence of a man’s life. But *Rocky* isn’t a boxing movie. I just happened to choose boxing; this is a love story.”

It was striking how he emphasized that the love story between Adrian—played by Talia Shire (80)—and Rocky was a central theme.

Renting Muhammad Ali’s House

In the third film, Rocky finds himself in a tight spot when Mr. T—a professional wrestler making his acting debut in this film—and star wrestler Hulk Hogan make an appearance.

“During the scene where Hogan lifts Rocky and throws him out of the ring, he really went all out, and Rocky was sent flying all the way to the front row of the audience. In the fight scene with Mr. T, we really went at each other—I broke my nose twice and cracked a rib; it’s basically held together with glue now,”

he laughed. He also revealed that they rented Muhammad Ali’s (former world heavyweight champion) house for filming,

“I thought a real house would be best for portraying a champion. There’s a scene where Rocky sings a lullaby to his wife in bed—that’s the bed where Ali used to sleep.”

He had endless stories to share about the behind-the-scenes origins and filming of “Rocky,” one of Hollywood’s biggest hit series.

Speaking of Stallone, he made headlines last January when President Trump named him one of Hollywood’s Special Envoys, alongside actors John Voight (87) and Mel Gibson (70). Regarding that, Stallone recently told the British newspaper *The Sunday Times*:

“One night, I was watching TV, and they said [on the news], ‘Sylvester Stallone, Mel Gibson, and John Voight…’ I was like, ‘Huh?’ Then I said, ‘Wait a minute, are you serious?’ Because if they’d consulted me from the start, I would’ve said, ‘That’s impossible.’”

he recalled.

“Hollywood is just like a feudal state. Everyone has their own little kingdom. You can’t just go around telling the six studios what to do. Besides, Mel Gibson and John Voight are the kind of people who stick to their own ways. It wouldn’t work,”

he remarked critically. This is exactly the kind of comment you’d expect from Stallone, who is known for speaking his mind.

Alongside the “Rocky” series, the “Rambo” series is another popular franchise starring Stallone. Production has been greenlit for “John Rambo” (set for release in June 2027), a prequel to the first film, “Rambo” (1982).

Noah Centineo (30) will play the lead role of John Rambo, while Stallone will serve as executive producer. Having celebrated his 80th birthday on July 6 of this year and showing no signs of slowing down, all eyes are on Stallone’s future endeavors.