Sylvester Stallone is undeniably one of the most influential figures in Hollywood. His rise to fame is one of the greatest underdog stories ever told, and it is mirrored in his breakthrough movie, Rocky. After he seemingly came out of nowhere in 1976 with Rocky, he quickly went on to be one of the biggest box office stars of all time.
Across his many decades in Hollywood, Stallone has always been open and increasingly candid about his life. However, in Netflix’s documentary, Sly, he truly lifts the lid on his life and career, totally unafraid to hold back and talk about the tough times as well as the good. So, here’s 6 things we learned from Netflix’s Sly.
1. Sylvester Stallone’s Father Tried to Rip Off the Rocky Franchise
Before the release of Rocky, Sylvester Stallone had been trying for years to break into Hollywood. After being rejected for a background role in The Godfather for not looking “Italian enough”, he would have to work odd jobs to keep himself afloat. However, he did land small roles in movies like Woody Allen‘s Bananas and Dick Richard‘s Farewell My Lovely. The problem was, Stallone soon realised he was on a path to becoming nothing more than an onscreen “heavy”. So, determined to create his own success, he wrote the script for Rocky.
The movie was a smash hit and catapulted Stallone to worldwide fame. However, it turned out his father, Frank Stallone Sr. wanted to chime in on the action. In the Netflix documentary, Sly, various figures from Stallone’s life divulge stories about the actor. Stallone’s friend and fellow filmmaker, John Herzfeld, divulged that after the massive success of Rocky, Stallone’s father reached out to him with a script, hailing it the “real Rocky“. Herzfeld turned down his offer and advised that he consult Sylvester instead, but Frank declined. Herzfeld put this down to the fact that after years of a strained relationship, Frank “was still competing with Sly”.
2. Arnold Schwarzenegger Tricked Stallone Into Taking a Doomed Role
Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger were two of the biggest box office titans of the 80s and 90s. Although they are good friends today, they have both been very open about their hatred for each other in their heydays. In Sly, Stallone and Schwarzenegger offer candid insights into their intense rivalry. They state how they would compete over everything, from the size of their muscles to their kill counts, and most importantly, their box office draws.
It was also common for them to be considered for the same roles fairly often. With that said, when Schwarzenegger read the script for Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot, he absolutely hated it. However, that’s not what he told Stallone. In fact, he told him the opposite and claimed he was thinking about doing the movie. Stallone took the bait and signed up for the role, leading to one of the biggest box office flops of his career.
3. Sylvester Stallone Was Kicked Out of 14 Schools by the Age of 13
Throughout Netflix’s Sly, Stallone opens up about his troubled upbringing. With the massive success that he has had over his career, it’s hard to believe that his life could have taken a very different path. However, his brother Frank Stallone, stated that Sly was always getting into fights when growing up. As a result, he was kicked out of 14 different schools by the time he was 13. What’s more, he was shipped to a military school to teach him some discipline when his behaviour got so out of control.
4. Sylvester Stallone’s Writing Started Earlier Than Rocky
Although Sylvester Stallone broke into Hollywood with his Oscar-nominated script of Rocky, he had been writing for many years before this. He would spend hours writing in his apartment with black paint on the windows and his phone unhooked. However, it was on the set of The Lords of Flatbush where he would hone his skills for crafting dialogue. In Netflix’s Sly, Stallone’s co-star Henry Winkler shed some light on Stallone’s approach to the filming of his scenes. He noted how Sly would often go off page and improvise if he felt that the dialogue wasn’t right. To that, Stallone claimed that he was given complete freedom on the set, and would even rewrite scenes on the day of filming.
5. Stallone Was a Nationally Ranked Polo Player
After his parents split, Sylvester Stallone moved with his father to Maryland while his brother stayed with their mother. While living in Maryland, Stallone became engrossed in the sport of polo. As his skills flourished, he found himself nationally ranked by the time he was 13. However, his tumultuous relationship with his father would soon destroy his love for the sport. Throughout the documentary, Stallone opens up about his relationship with his father, saying “I was raised by a very physical father,” and states that he “was no stranger to serious pain”.
It turns out that his father’s tough nature would lead to Stallone’s departure from the sport. Stallone recalled a time when, in the middle of a game, his father began screaming from the stands, saying “you’re pulling too hard on the horse.” He then came out of the stands and grabbed Sly by the throat and threw him off the horse. As a result, Stallone didn’t play polo until he returned to the sport at the age of 40. However, once again, his father would ruin this for him when they played in the same game and Frank Sr. hit Sly in the back, sending him flying off his horse.
6. One Iconic Scene in Rocky Was Originally Meant to be Completely Different
Rocky was made on a tight schedule and a reported budget of $860,000. This meant that the production was constantly battling with last minute changes. In the famous first date scene between Adrian and Rocky, the scene was originally meant to be filmed in a packed out ice rink. However, on the day of filming, the producers cut all 300 extras from the scene due to a lack of funding. As a result, the scene had to be changed. The new and improvised scene saw Rocky haggle with an ice rink employee to buy himself and Adrian ten minutes on the ice. However, this turned out to be a blessing in disguise. To that, the scene became much more personal and heartfelt, standing out as one of the most chemistry-driven moments in the whole picture.
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