Sylvester Stallone spoke about I Play Rocky, a film about the difficult production process behind the 1976 film Rocky. Anthony Ippolito portrays Stallone in his younger years in the production, which had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. Stallone said that he initially thought, “I’m not dead yet, aren’t we rushing this a little?” but was surprised when he saw Ippolito. The actor said he did not interfere with the creative process of the film, directed by Peter Farrelly, and explained that he only offered support to the young actor. Stallone joked while watching Ippolito’s performance, “Do I really talk like that?”
The actor described the 1990 film Rocky V as “a disgrace” and revealed that he had tried to convince Amazon to re-edit the film. Stallone said that if he were starting his career today, he would not be able to reach the top of Hollywood, arguing that films today ignore the social climate and ethnic makeup of the period. Farrelly, meanwhile, said that Stallone called him after watching the film at home and told him he liked the production very much.
Why it matters
I Play Rocky raises the question of how one of the most defining productions of Stallone’s career is being reinterpreted today. Having another actor portray his younger self foregrounds the opportunity to look at Stallone’s past from the outside, rather than through his direct creative control over the film’s narrative; the actor’s decision not to become involved in the project also supports this approach. Stallone’s harsh assessment of Rocky V shows that he does not embrace every film in the series to the same extent, while his search for a re-edit leaves open the question of whether this criticism will translate into a practical response. His remarks on contemporary cinema connect his personal assessment of his career with a broader discussion of films’ attitudes toward the social climate and ethnic makeup of their time.