Sylvester Stallone is one of the living legends of the movie industry, and in his career, he has played a plethora of action roles.

And in his career, he has some of the most iconic roles which are cult classics, and his performance in Rambo: The First Blood cemented his status as an action star in the movie industry. But the film which helped him rise to stardom was Rocky, it changed his life completely, as it put him into the league of the best actors in Hollywood.

Sylvester Stallone
In his decades-long career, the Creed actor has headlined in a number of films but none of them are like Rocky. The sports drama features Rocky Balboa, an underdog boxer played by Sylvester Stallone. The film is an important part of film history as it featured not only exhilarating fights but also a gripping story on a personal level. And unlike, other action films his film was different as he brought vulnerability into his story.

Sylvester Stallone Adds Vulnerability To Make His Film Stand-Apart

Sylvester Stallone was a guest on Q with Tom Power, where he talked about several things, but one of the things that he shared with the interviewer was how he decided to add vulnerability in his series, and how it made his characters different from other action stars. He shared that he has spent a lot of time wondering “How do I imbue this with heart,” something that eats from the inside.
A still from the interview
He continued that pain, heartbreak, and loss are qualities that every audience can relate to, and he gave the example of Rambo, and how he is broken-hearted and “needs to die in service of others because he has just very little self-worth.”

He shared how he went to watch Steve Reeves’ Hercules Unchained  and it drove him to lift weights to build a chiseled physique, and he felt that action stars are somewhat like gods as they never got hurt, “not a bloody nose.”
“A lot of action guys have no heart and you can see in their films all they did was kick a**, they never get hurt, ever. Not a bloody nose, and that’s not real.”
He continued how that’s a lie because the audience can’t relate to such things, “everybody gets hurt.” When the character gets hurt the viewers would love it and cheer for him to get up because everyone gets knocked down in their life.
Sylvester Stallone as Rocky Balboa

“The audience can’t relate to that, everybody gets hurt, every it either metaphorically, symbolically, or physically they get hurt. And you root for that person who gets hurt, [mimicking the audience] Get Up!”

“Because we all get knocked down and that’s just a CREDO that followed my whole life that he’s not a Pillar of Strength, he’s a pillar of dominoes.”
Such different beliefs helped the Italian Stallion to play some of the most iconic characters that have survived the test of time. However, the actor is now 77 years old and he is now ready to stop doing action roles, as he shared his take on getting older.

Sylvester Stallone On Playing Action Roles In His 70s

When Sylvester Stallone was just 36 years old, he played the role of John Rambo in Rambo: First Blood. It was one of the best action films of that time as it grossed $156 million at the worldwide box office. The film was directed by Ted Kotcheff, and it was also co-written by the actor.
Sylvester Stallone as John Rambo
However, after 37 years, the Cobra actor decided to return to the franchise, reprising his role as John Rambo in Rambo: Last Blood. The last movie of the franchise brought back the Vietnam War veteran. He was asked by Variety, on the reason for making the film after a long break.
“The warrior can never find peace. He just can’t. He’s always getting hurt, but now he’s getting older, so he’s getting hurt even more.”
The 2019 sequel was a massive hit as it featured the fan-favorite action character John Rambo, it evoked nostalgia and introduced himself to a whole new generation of fans. The film was a great watch and it generated $91.3 million at the worldwide box office, and an additional revenue of $26.7 million in DVD sales.

Rocky 1 can be streamed on Netflix.

Source: Q with Tom Power