Sylvester Stallone, the acclaimed actor, recently opened up about the trials he faced in his career, revealing a period when he felt forsaken by Hollywood.
In a candid conversation with AARP, the 79-year-old actor shared, "For almost a decade, I couldnt find work." He recounted the harsh reality of being unwanted after his film 'Cop Land,' stating, "Nobody wanted me after 'Cop Land.' Even my agents. I was fired from CAA. My personal manager at the time let me go. He said, 'I cant do anything for you. Nobody really wants you anymore.' And I go, 'Howd this happen?' I was told these studios feel as though youre not what you were."
According to Fox News, Stallone's journey was fraught with rejection and disappointment. He remembered pleading with his former agent, who was then heading Universal Studios, for any work, only to be told, "Ill try to help you, but its not up to me." Despite being informed that his "time has passed" and that his "genre is over," Stallone remained undeterred. He expressed his desire to return to 'Rocky,' his "safe place."
However, the path to 'Rocky' was not smooth. Stallone recalled, "But there I am, 60 years old, and the previous one, 'Rocky V,' was an abject failure, so the original producers didnt want to do the sixth film, 'Rocky Balboa.' They said, basically, 'Over our dead bodies.' Even my wife was going, 'I dont know if its such a good idea.'"
A fortuitous meeting with a film producer while vacationing in Mexico paved the way for the successful fifth installment of the Rocky series, which reestablished Stallone's place in Hollywood. He subsequently wrote and starred in two more "Rambo" films, "The Expendables" franchise, and reprised his role as Rocky Balboa in the "Creed" films.
The first Rocky film was instrumental in catapulting Stallone's career, earning him Oscar nominations for best original screenplay and best actor. Reflecting on his iconic character, Rambo, Stallone revealed a personal connection, stating, "I feel closer to Rambo than Rocky in many ways because hes a scorned child. Hes rejected by America, his parent. 'I did everything you wanted me to do, but I wasnt good enough. And I came back and you want to bury me.' So I would fill Rambo with over-the-top violence."
Stallone has previously opened up about his tumultuous childhood in his 2023 Netflix documentary, "Sly," where he shared, "I was raised by a very physical father" and that he "was no stranger to serious pain." He further explained that his experiences shaped his resilient mindset, which "just became, Im not gonna break."
In his conversation with AARP, Stallone was brutally honest about his relationship with his mother, describing her as "a narcissist with a borderline personality disorder" who despised affection. He shared, "My mother didnt want me. She never hugged me, my brotherforget a kiss. My father certainly was not prepared to be a father. They really didnt want children, and they had them and thought, So how do we get rid of them?"
Stallone's complex relationship with his parents was also a topic of discussion in an episode of Sean Hannity's Fox Nation series, "Sean." He stated, "Today, people would have been arrested, but in one part... I have the ability to channel that. And that's why I think I'm successful, because I understand rejection. I understand hardship, I understand fear, and if my father couldn't break me, nobody was going to break me... I know what it's like to live on the dark side."
The star of "Samaritan" described himself as "disruptive," but found a passion for art and later "got into acting by accident." Despite feeling at home on the stage, convincing casting directors to hire him proved challenging. Stallone concluded that "acting is 97 percent guaranteed unemployment" and realized he "was never going to make it as an actor," unless he was content playing "the second goon." This realization led him to explore writing.
Stallone admitted to AARP, "I was terrible. I mean, I still, today, dont know what a pronoun is. Im just still working on a verb. Its an action word, right? Because it doesnt matter in screenwriting. When youre writing dialogue, the way you speak is as personal as your fingerprints. I just had that ear. So my point is, I knew I was going to be a thug, and then an older thug, and then an unemployable thug. But maybe, instead, I could write a story about a thug who is not a thug. Hes really quite a broken man, kind, and just realizes hes a failure."
Reflecting on the enduring success of the Rocky franchise, Stallone believes the film resonates because of its universal appeal. He told Fox News Digital in December 2023, "There are certain conundrums, issues, problems, journeys, challenges that everybody from every country, every culture has to face. And they may be somewhat different, but they usually deal with the same kind of I just want to achieve something, I want people to be proud of me, I want to raise a family, I want to support my daughter. Its this kind of fear or [thinking] Im really nobody inside. People look at me but, on the inside, I feel weak and shallow, thats what the character was."
Currently, Stallone stars in the Paramount + series, "Tulsa King," and also appears in the reality show, "The Family Stallone," alongside his wife, Jennifer Flavin, and his daughters, Sophia, 29, Sistine, 27, and Scarlet, 23.
Despite the trials and tribulations, Stallone's journey is a testament to resilience and the power of perseverance, embodying the spirit of the characters he has portrayed on screen.
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