Sylvester Stallone Says Today's Hollywood Would Make His Career Impossible
The 'Rocky' star believes the current industry landscape and subject matter would prevent him from achieving the success he found 50 years ago.
Sylvester Stallone, the iconic star behind "Rocky" and "Rambo," has expressed doubt that he could achieve his current level of success if he were starting his career in today's Hollywood. Speaking at 92NY, Stallone stated that the industry has fundamentally changed, making it difficult for him to relate to the current mindset, actors, or subject matter.
"No. It's a whole different mindset. The actors look different, they act different. The subject matter, I couldn't relate to," Stallone told CBS Sunday Morning's Tracy Smith. "No, I would be in trouble."
He questioned whether a film like "The Godfather" could even be cast in the current climate. "If you were going to make 'The Godfather' today… try casting it," he said.
Stallone's breakout role in the 1976 film "Rocky" earned him Academy Award nominations for best actor and best original screenplay, and the film won best picture. The success of "Rocky" launched a long-running franchise and cemented Stallone's status as an action star.
Reflecting on the potential failure of "Rocky," Stallone humorously suggested he might have ended up in jail or working with animals. "I would have been in a cell somewhere," he said, laughing. "Or in husbandry with horses and animals. I was about the same intelligence as a horse. I was going to be a horse person, I related to the animals."
Stallone mentioned that he has always lived by "Murphy's Law" – the adage that anything that can go wrong will go wrong – which he believes helped fuel the success of "Rocky." He illustrated this by explaining his practice of counting steps to the fire escape from his hotel room, ensuring he knows how to exit in case of a power outage when traveling with his wife, Jennifer Flavin.
Stallone and Flavin, who married in 1997, share three daughters: Sophia, Sistine, and Scarlet. The couple briefly filed for divorce in 2022 but reconciled shortly thereafter.
The actor is also preparing to release his memoir, titled "The Steps," on September 29. When asked about the greatest "step" of his life, Stallone reflected, "It really is that first step. When you go, 'I'm all in, and I'm going to keep going up these steps until my legs go out.' It's the journey of life."