In the biopic I Play Rocky, we'll see the story of a young Sylvester Stallone fighting to play the title role. As a small-budget movie that became a big hit at the box office and won three Oscars, it was a true Cinderella story for the then-aspiring actor to create such a successful movie. Now, the action star is also personally looking back on Rocky winning Best Picture as he enters a chapter of his life that he's described as “closer to the end.”
When Sylvester Stallone was making Rocky, you’d think the odds were stacked up against him, as his previous works like The Party at Kitty and Stud’s, Death Race 2000, and The Lords of Flatbush didn’t exactly make him a breakout success. Not to mention, the New York City native was broke and unemployed while trying to keep a roof over his head.
However, he got it made, and to the Oscars. But the challenges didn't stop there. Network’s screenwriter, Paddy Chayefsky, told the actor/screenwriter that his movie would never win Best Screenplay and Best Picture. Against the odds, though, Rocky ended up being a surprise Oscar win for Best Picture. Now, Stallone is reflecting on that accomplishment and how he felt at the time, telling Deadline:
Me being me, it was all quite profound, and after we won, I thought, ‘The good news is, I’ve peaked — and the bad news is, I’ve peaked.’ I’d just turned 30 years old and was like, ‘How are you going to top this?’ But here we are, 50 years later, and we’re still talking about it.
With five sequels and Rocky Balboa’s story continuing in the Creed series, I don't think we'll ever stop talking about the great sports movie that started it all.
For a sports flick with a million-dollar budget, Rocky created a lasting legacy cherished by generations of fans. Now, while Sylvester Stallone is still working today, he got real about feeling fortunate for his Rocky success now that he’s “closer to the end of the line.”
I’m really starting to embrace just how fucking lucky I’ve been, now that I’m getting closer to the end of the line. I had written about 22 screenplays before Rocky, so I had been practicing, but I never concentrated on the kind of messaging or politics those other films had. I just channeled what I was living through, what I was thinking and the way I philosophized life. I just put it in the body of a boxer because the body of an actor is not necessarily interesting. It was not narcissistic or cynical, and that’s what people responded to. It was apolitical and humanizing.
Stallone’s work certainly left a huge footprint on the film world. Many writers are told to write what they know, and that’s exactly what he did in presenting relatable human struggles in the form of a boxer. The Rocky series launched Stallone’s acting career, and he went on to lead other film franchises like Rambo and The Expendables.
While the Demolition Man actor is 80 years old now and not the young 22-year-old who wrote his first Rocky movie, he’s still working. At the moment, he's starring in Tulsa King (which is streaming with a Paramount+ subscription), which has been renewed for Season 4. So, while he implied that the "end of the line" is closer than it was when Rocky came out, he's still nowhere near it, it'd seem.
But I do see what he's saying. Rocky won Best Picture nearly 50 years ago; it's been a long time since then. But looking back on his success with that film can easily make him feel like the most fortunate man.
You can watch the underdog Best Picture winner now with a Netflix subscription.
