WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.279 Welcome to the Deep Dive, the place where we 00:00:02.279 --> 00:00:05.259 take the entire history of a topic, grind it 00:00:05.259 --> 00:00:07.780 down into the most essential, surprising, and 00:00:07.780 --> 00:00:09.939 insightful nuggets, and deliver them straight 00:00:09.939 --> 00:00:13.550 to you. And today... We're diving into Sylvester 00:00:13.550 --> 00:00:16.329 Stallone. Exactly. You asked for the complete 00:00:16.329 --> 00:00:18.929 picture, not just the characters, not just the 00:00:18.929 --> 00:00:22.109 muscles or the box office numbers, but the man 00:00:22.109 --> 00:00:25.750 who really fundamentally shaped the modern action 00:00:25.750 --> 00:00:28.469 genre. And while doing that, he navigated these 00:00:28.469 --> 00:00:31.989 just wild extremes of critical failure and eventually 00:00:31.989 --> 00:00:34.460 ultimate artistic validation. That's our mission 00:00:34.460 --> 00:00:37.340 today. We are going beyond Rocky and Rambo to 00:00:37.340 --> 00:00:40.479 decode how this one singular figure managed an 00:00:40.479 --> 00:00:42.539 achievement that's almost unheard of in Hollywood. 00:00:42.780 --> 00:00:44.920 Right. Starring in a box office number one film 00:00:44.920 --> 00:00:47.740 across six consecutive decades. Six. It's incredible. 00:00:48.020 --> 00:00:49.880 Think about that longevity. That streak runs 00:00:49.880 --> 00:00:52.899 from the 1970s right up to the 2020s. The only 00:00:52.899 --> 00:00:54.859 other person to do that is Harrison Ford. That 00:00:54.859 --> 00:00:57.420 kind of sustained cultural presence just demands 00:00:57.420 --> 00:00:59.500 a deep dive into the creative engine that was 00:00:59.500 --> 00:01:02.509 driving him. And the sources we've got are fantastic 00:01:02.509 --> 00:01:04.469 for this. They don't just, you know, list his 00:01:04.469 --> 00:01:07.530 filmography. They trace his career chronologically, 00:01:07.730 --> 00:01:10.310 but they focus heavily on the adversity. Yeah, 00:01:10.370 --> 00:01:13.890 the adversity, his output as a writer and director, 00:01:14.090 --> 00:01:17.890 and that incredible, almost absurd swing between 00:01:17.890 --> 00:01:21.090 winning the highest cinematic honors. And on 00:01:21.090 --> 00:01:23.590 the other hand, accumulating this alarming number 00:01:23.590 --> 00:01:26.780 of the lowest. The Golden Raspberry Awards. It's 00:01:26.780 --> 00:01:29.739 perfect material for mining those deep, compelling 00:01:29.739 --> 00:01:32.519 insights and doing it quickly. I mean, the central 00:01:32.519 --> 00:01:35.659 paradox of his life is just so stark. The man 00:01:35.659 --> 00:01:38.980 who created a global film empire, what is it, 00:01:39.040 --> 00:01:42.680 grossing over $7 .5 billion worldwide? An insane 00:01:42.680 --> 00:01:45.159 number. And then you find out that in his youth 00:01:45.159 --> 00:01:48.000 he was defined by poverty, by homelessness, and 00:01:48.000 --> 00:01:50.920 this very public physical impairment that really 00:01:50.920 --> 00:01:52.840 should have barred him from ever acting. It's 00:01:52.840 --> 00:01:55.500 that contrast, that struggle versus the eventual 00:01:55.500 --> 00:01:57.959 just overwhelming achievement. We have to explore 00:01:57.959 --> 00:02:00.219 that. So let's unpack this. Let's start right 00:02:00.219 --> 00:02:02.159 at the very beginning where his life began with 00:02:02.159 --> 00:02:05.340 a real medical challenge. Okay, so Sylvester 00:02:05.340 --> 00:02:07.739 Gardenzio Stallone was born in Hell's Kitchen, 00:02:07.859 --> 00:02:11.659 Manhattan, July 6, 1946. And even his family 00:02:11.659 --> 00:02:14.439 background, it reads like a character list for 00:02:14.439 --> 00:02:18.419 a screenplay. It really does. His father, Francesco 00:02:18.419 --> 00:02:20.860 Frank Stallone Sr., was an Italian immigrant. 00:02:21.639 --> 00:02:23.939 He worked as a hairdresser, but also, and this 00:02:23.939 --> 00:02:27.139 is the bizarre part. An avid polo player. A hairdresser 00:02:27.139 --> 00:02:30.680 and a polo enthusiast. That juxtaposition just 00:02:30.680 --> 00:02:33.199 suggests a certain theatricality in the family 00:02:33.199 --> 00:02:36.099 DNA. From the get go. And his mother, Jacqueline 00:02:36.099 --> 00:02:38.759 Jackie Stallone, was maybe even more flamboyant. 00:02:38.840 --> 00:02:40.979 Oh, definitely. A celebrity astrologer and a 00:02:40.979 --> 00:02:43.099 women's professional wrestling promoter. That 00:02:43.099 --> 00:02:46.360 high octane mix of working class grit and, I 00:02:46.360 --> 00:02:48.460 don't know, celebrity flash. It certainly set 00:02:48.460 --> 00:02:50.360 the stage. And of course, he has his younger 00:02:50.360 --> 00:02:52.500 brother, Frank Stallone, who became a musician 00:02:52.500 --> 00:02:55.000 and was a pretty consistent collaborator on his 00:02:55.000 --> 00:02:56.840 film projects. There's a great little nugget 00:02:56.840 --> 00:02:58.800 about his name, too. His mother actually wanted 00:02:58.800 --> 00:03:01.219 to call him Tyrone after Tyrone Power. Oh, wow. 00:03:01.539 --> 00:03:03.750 But his father insisted on Sylvester. And that 00:03:03.750 --> 00:03:06.550 middle name, Gardenzio, is this altered form 00:03:06.550 --> 00:03:08.629 of the Italian Gardenzio. He apparently shortened 00:03:08.629 --> 00:03:11.449 it to Enzio a lot. But the most defining feature 00:03:11.449 --> 00:03:14.629 of his public life, the thing that is just inseparable 00:03:14.629 --> 00:03:17.930 from his entire screen persona, is that signature 00:03:17.930 --> 00:03:22.030 look. The slight snarl, the drooping lip, and 00:03:22.030 --> 00:03:24.449 that slightly slurred speech pattern. And the 00:03:24.449 --> 00:03:26.610 sources are clear, this wasn't an acting choice. 00:03:26.810 --> 00:03:30.090 It was a direct consequence of a really serious 00:03:30.090 --> 00:03:32.750 complication during his birth. That's the core 00:03:32.750 --> 00:03:35.550 defining detail that really dictated his entire 00:03:35.550 --> 00:03:38.650 early path. During his delivery, the obstetricians 00:03:38.650 --> 00:03:41.229 had to use two pairs of forceps. Right. And in 00:03:41.229 --> 00:03:43.110 the process, they accidentally severed a nerve. 00:03:43.289 --> 00:03:45.509 And that's the source of it. The facial paralysis 00:03:45.509 --> 00:03:48.469 on the lower left side, it impacts his lip, part 00:03:48.469 --> 00:03:50.789 of his tongue, and his chin. It's what creates 00:03:50.789 --> 00:03:52.909 that distinctive cadence and the snarl that we 00:03:52.909 --> 00:03:55.310 all associate with Rocky Balboa. Just think about 00:03:55.310 --> 00:03:57.370 the immense psychological application of that 00:03:57.370 --> 00:04:00.090 for a boy who wants to pursue a career that depends 00:04:00.090 --> 00:04:03.659 on, you know, Clear communication and conventionally 00:04:03.659 --> 00:04:05.580 appealing looks. And it wasn't just visible. 00:04:05.699 --> 00:04:08.199 That physical difference led directly to some 00:04:08.199 --> 00:04:10.800 serious bullying in his childhood. His initial 00:04:10.800 --> 00:04:13.919 nickname was Binky. Which schoolmates then cruelly 00:04:13.919 --> 00:04:17.120 morphed into Stinky. So he quickly changed his 00:04:17.120 --> 00:04:19.839 name to Mike or Michael. It's just incredible 00:04:19.839 --> 00:04:23.060 how that early rejection, that cruelty, it forced 00:04:23.060 --> 00:04:25.500 him to develop coping mechanisms that would later 00:04:25.500 --> 00:04:28.259 define his global success. Right. Instead of 00:04:28.259 --> 00:04:32.049 retreating, he turned to two things. bodybuilding 00:04:32.049 --> 00:04:34.610 as a way to gain a physical presence and some 00:04:34.610 --> 00:04:37.930 dominance. And acting as a means of transforming 00:04:37.930 --> 00:04:40.209 his identity and his voice. It's that classic 00:04:40.209 --> 00:04:42.149 narrative, isn't it? Transformation through self 00:04:42.149 --> 00:04:44.670 -discipline. But if you look at his formal educational 00:04:44.670 --> 00:04:47.449 projections, absolutely no one saw this coming. 00:04:47.720 --> 00:04:50.220 Get this. A guidance counselor once reviewed 00:04:50.220 --> 00:04:52.680 his academic path and told his mother that he 00:04:52.680 --> 00:04:55.360 was only, and I'm quoting here, suited to run 00:04:55.360 --> 00:04:58.240 a sorting machine or to be an assistant electrician, 00:04:58.259 --> 00:05:00.980 primarily in the area of elevator operations. 00:05:01.160 --> 00:05:04.000 An elevator operator. It's shocking in retrospect. 00:05:04.480 --> 00:05:06.240 You have to wonder if he kept that evaluation 00:05:06.240 --> 00:05:08.680 card and just looked at it every time he signed 00:05:08.680 --> 00:05:11.459 a $20 million contract. It just underscores the 00:05:11.459 --> 00:05:13.959 deep adversity. Well, his academic path was pretty 00:05:13.959 --> 00:05:16.620 erratic, too, which fits the instability of his 00:05:16.620 --> 00:05:20.040 youth. His parents divorced when he was 11. He 00:05:20.040 --> 00:05:22.819 stayed with his dad at first, then moved to Philadelphia 00:05:22.819 --> 00:05:25.439 with his remarried mother when he was 15. He 00:05:25.439 --> 00:05:27.379 was just shuffled through different institutions. 00:05:27.480 --> 00:05:30.139 Charlotte Hall Military Academy, Miami Dade College. 00:05:30.939 --> 00:05:32.980 And then for a brief moment, he had this little 00:05:32.980 --> 00:05:35.860 bit of privilege. He spent two years abroad at 00:05:35.860 --> 00:05:37.720 the American College of Switzerland. That was 00:05:37.720 --> 00:05:40.459 65 to 67. And from there, he came back to the 00:05:40.459 --> 00:05:42.779 US to formally study drama at the University 00:05:42.779 --> 00:05:46.680 of Miami from 67 to 69. But he didn't actually 00:05:46.680 --> 00:05:48.800 complete the degree at that time. The financial 00:05:48.800 --> 00:05:50.740 pressures, the survival pressures, they were 00:05:50.740 --> 00:05:53.319 just too great. But here's a fantastic nugget 00:05:53.319 --> 00:05:56.060 about the sheer tenacity of the man. He never 00:05:56.060 --> 00:05:59.579 forgot about not having that degree. Right. Decades 00:05:59.579 --> 00:06:02.899 later, in 1998, the University of Miami revisited 00:06:02.899 --> 00:06:05.819 his case. And they recognized his immense life 00:06:05.819 --> 00:06:07.920 experience and his acting credits. I mean, a 00:06:07.920 --> 00:06:10.360 global filmography that had earned billions. 00:06:10.660 --> 00:06:12.860 And they granted him a Bachelor of Fine Arts 00:06:12.860 --> 00:06:15.839 degree. He literally leveraged his career as 00:06:15.839 --> 00:06:18.519 college credit. And by the time he got that degree, 00:06:18.779 --> 00:06:21.339 he had certainly earned it. Especially when you 00:06:21.339 --> 00:06:24.500 look at that grim period between 1968 and 1974, 00:06:24.839 --> 00:06:27.339 which he described as just a constant struggle 00:06:27.339 --> 00:06:30.100 for survival. During that time, he was trying 00:06:30.100 --> 00:06:32.540 out different professional names. He was on stage 00:06:32.540 --> 00:06:36.100 as Mike Stallone until 69, before finally settling 00:06:36.100 --> 00:06:39.560 on Sylvester E. Stallone in 1970. He was in New 00:06:39.560 --> 00:06:42.000 York sharing an apartment with his then -girlfriend, 00:06:42.120 --> 00:06:44.660 Sasha Sack, and she was basically keeping them 00:06:44.660 --> 00:06:46.860 afloat by waitressing. And Stallone was taking 00:06:46.860 --> 00:06:49.610 these desperate odd jobs. cleaning cages at a 00:06:49.610 --> 00:06:52.069 zoo, working as a theater usher. Until he got 00:06:52.069 --> 00:06:54.250 fired for trying to scalp tickets. Right. So 00:06:54.250 --> 00:06:56.329 even then, he was willing to bend the rules just 00:06:56.329 --> 00:06:59.430 to scrape by. But the absolute defining low point, 00:06:59.509 --> 00:07:01.350 the kind of story that really shapes a legend, 00:07:01.509 --> 00:07:04.230 came when he was evicted and had nowhere to go. 00:07:04.430 --> 00:07:06.829 He admitted to sleeping for three weeks in the 00:07:06.829 --> 00:07:09.329 Port Authority bus terminal in New York City. 00:07:09.509 --> 00:07:11.889 Imagine that. Just completely out of options. 00:07:12.439 --> 00:07:15.279 Sleeping rough in that iconic, bustling, but 00:07:15.279 --> 00:07:17.120 ultimately cold and impersonal transportation 00:07:17.120 --> 00:07:20.139 hub. And it was that profound desperation that 00:07:20.139 --> 00:07:23.339 directly led to his first starring role. We are 00:07:23.339 --> 00:07:26.339 talking about the 1970 softcore pornography film, 00:07:26.540 --> 00:07:29.720 The Party at Kitty and Studs. He got paid only 00:07:29.720 --> 00:07:32.139 $200 for two days of work. And the motivation 00:07:32.139 --> 00:07:34.600 behind that choice is absolutely critical to 00:07:34.600 --> 00:07:36.939 understanding his struggle. He later stated, 00:07:37.180 --> 00:07:38.920 and this is a raw quote, that it was a choice 00:07:38.920 --> 00:07:40.860 between doing that movie or robbing someone. 00:07:41.120 --> 00:07:44.399 He was at the end, the very end of my rope. That 00:07:44.399 --> 00:07:47.639 financial extremity is the context. You have 00:07:47.639 --> 00:07:49.879 to view all his early work through that lens. 00:07:50.079 --> 00:07:52.199 And of course, the second he became famous, that 00:07:52.199 --> 00:07:54.779 film was immediately repackaged and retitled 00:07:54.779 --> 00:07:56.879 Italian Stallion to capitalize on his success. 00:07:57.120 --> 00:08:00.040 It turned a desperate act into a marketing gimmick. 00:08:00.199 --> 00:08:02.779 Before Rocky, rejection was just his constant 00:08:02.779 --> 00:08:04.939 companion. He auditioned for an extra role in 00:08:04.939 --> 00:08:07.920 The Godfather in 1972. It was just rejected outright. 00:08:08.350 --> 00:08:10.250 He was nearly invisible in a background role 00:08:10.250 --> 00:08:12.730 in Barbra Streisand's What's Up, Doc? But he 00:08:12.730 --> 00:08:15.029 started accumulating small parts, and he finally 00:08:15.029 --> 00:08:17.370 landed his first proper role as Stanley in The 00:08:17.370 --> 00:08:20.550 Lords of Flatbush in 1974. He also starred in 00:08:20.550 --> 00:08:24.449 a 1973 independent film, No Place to Hide, which 00:08:24.449 --> 00:08:27.290 had this strange afterlife. It was later recut 00:08:27.290 --> 00:08:30.089 as Rebel, and then... This is the bizarre part. 00:08:30.230 --> 00:08:32.590 It was edited again, dubbed, and turned into 00:08:32.590 --> 00:08:35.809 this Woody Allen -style parody called A Man Called 00:08:35.809 --> 00:08:39.769 Rainbow. So even his invisible period had this 00:08:39.769 --> 00:08:42.769 weird self -aware irony to it. So all of that 00:08:42.769 --> 00:08:44.470 struggle, all that rejection, all the desperation, 00:08:44.509 --> 00:08:47.409 it all came to a head in one singular moment 00:08:47.409 --> 00:08:50.960 that just defined his future. March 24th, 1975. 00:08:51.559 --> 00:08:53.820 Right. Stallone was watching the fight between 00:08:53.820 --> 00:08:56.200 the heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali and this 00:08:56.200 --> 00:08:58.659 extreme long shot contender, Chuck Wepner. This 00:08:58.659 --> 00:09:00.600 is the moment of inspiration that changed everything. 00:09:00.840 --> 00:09:03.279 Wepner, known as the Bayonne Bleeder, was a total 00:09:03.279 --> 00:09:05.139 journeyman. He was completely outmatched. But 00:09:05.139 --> 00:09:07.460 he did the unthinkable. He managed to knock Ali 00:09:07.460 --> 00:09:09.580 down in the ninth round before eventually losing 00:09:09.580 --> 00:09:12.200 in the 15th. Stallone saw the underdog pushing 00:09:12.200 --> 00:09:14.240 the legend to the absolute limit. And Stallone 00:09:14.240 --> 00:09:16.480 is described leaving that fight and just feeling 00:09:16.480 --> 00:09:19.259 this overwhelming creative compulsion. He went 00:09:19.259 --> 00:09:22.000 home, sat down, and in this remarkable burst 00:09:22.000 --> 00:09:24.179 of energy, he completed the first draft of the 00:09:24.179 --> 00:09:27.240 Rocky script in just three days. That emotional 00:09:27.240 --> 00:09:30.080 intensity, the fusion of his own experiences, 00:09:30.100 --> 00:09:33.059 fighting uphill with the literal fight he just 00:09:33.059 --> 00:09:36.279 witnessed, it just poured onto the page. Now, 00:09:36.299 --> 00:09:38.820 there's a critical legal nugget here. While Wepner 00:09:38.820 --> 00:09:41.539 was clearly the main catalyst, Stallone later 00:09:41.539 --> 00:09:44.990 claimed he wasn't the sole inspiration. He cited 00:09:44.990 --> 00:09:47.909 influences like Rocky Graziano's autobiography. 00:09:47.970 --> 00:09:50.710 But Wepner did eventually file a lawsuit against 00:09:50.710 --> 00:09:53.029 Stallone. And that lawsuit was ultimately settled 00:09:53.029 --> 00:09:55.590 for an undisclosed amount. So it acknowledges 00:09:55.590 --> 00:09:57.929 the complexity of inspiration versus intellectual 00:09:57.929 --> 00:10:00.950 property. But the narrative connection to that 00:10:00.950 --> 00:10:03.730 Ali Wepner fight is absolutely undeniable. It's 00:10:03.730 --> 00:10:06.009 the core mythos of the film's origin. And what 00:10:06.009 --> 00:10:08.889 came next is the stuff of Hollywood legend. It 00:10:08.889 --> 00:10:11.110 was the ultimate test of Stallone's tenacity. 00:10:11.409 --> 00:10:13.629 Producers Erwin Winkler and Robert Chardoff. 00:10:14.029 --> 00:10:15.970 They were blown away by the script. They offered 00:10:15.970 --> 00:10:19.669 him $350 ,000 for the rights, a massive sum for 00:10:19.669 --> 00:10:21.850 a struggling actor at the time. And their plan 00:10:21.850 --> 00:10:25.129 was to cast established A -listers, people like 00:10:25.129 --> 00:10:28.110 Robert Redford or Burt Reynolds as Rocky Balboa. 00:10:28.230 --> 00:10:30.789 And most people in his financial position, I 00:10:30.789 --> 00:10:33.090 mean, literally just years removed from sleeping 00:10:33.090 --> 00:10:35.129 in a bus station, would have taken the money 00:10:35.129 --> 00:10:37.659 and run. But this is the moment. This is where 00:10:37.659 --> 00:10:40.100 Stallone showed the world he was an auteur and 00:10:40.100 --> 00:10:43.740 a shrewd, almost insane risk taker. He refused 00:10:43.740 --> 00:10:47.580 the $350 ,000. He leveraged his own script against 00:10:47.580 --> 00:10:50.559 his entire future. He made this iron -willed 00:10:50.559 --> 00:10:53.750 ultimatum. He would only sell the script if he 00:10:53.750 --> 00:10:56.490 was guaranteed the lead role of Rocky Balboa. 00:10:56.710 --> 00:10:59.129 The studio eventually agreed, but only under 00:10:59.129 --> 00:11:01.389 the condition that they drastically cut the production 00:11:01.389 --> 00:11:04.309 budget just to minimize the financial risk of 00:11:04.309 --> 00:11:07.509 casting a complete, physically distinctive unknown. 00:11:07.850 --> 00:11:10.289 And that low budget film, made under intense 00:11:10.289 --> 00:11:13.970 pressure, became Rocky in 1976. And the critical 00:11:13.970 --> 00:11:16.929 reaction was immediate and profound. Roger Ebert, 00:11:17.090 --> 00:11:18.990 one of the most respected critics of the era, 00:11:19.149 --> 00:11:21.549 suggested that Stallone's performance was so 00:11:21.549 --> 00:11:23.769 nuanced and sensitive that he could become the 00:11:23.769 --> 00:11:26.389 next Marlon Brando. The audacity of that prediction. 00:11:26.570 --> 00:11:28.710 For the man they suggested should be an elevator 00:11:28.710 --> 00:11:32.289 operator. And the history he made in 1977 wasn't 00:11:32.289 --> 00:11:34.789 just about acting. It confirmed his cinematic 00:11:34.789 --> 00:11:37.950 talent across the board. Stallone became only 00:11:37.950 --> 00:11:40.450 the third person in history, after Charlie Chaplin 00:11:40.450 --> 00:11:43.250 and Orson Welles, to be nominated for two Academy 00:11:43.250 --> 00:11:46.190 Awards for the same film. Best Actor and Best 00:11:46.190 --> 00:11:49.350 Original Screenplay. that staggering duality 00:11:49.350 --> 00:11:51.269 is often forgotten today when we just think of 00:11:51.269 --> 00:11:53.669 him as an action star he was immediately validated 00:11:53.669 --> 00:11:56.350 as a serious writer and a serious performer and 00:11:56.350 --> 00:11:59.779 the film itself won big Best Picture, Best Directing 00:11:59.779 --> 00:12:02.480 for John G. Abelson, and Best Film Editing. The 00:12:02.480 --> 00:12:05.340 cultural legacy of Rocky is just immense. We 00:12:05.340 --> 00:12:07.320 still talk about the Rocky steps at the Philadelphia 00:12:07.320 --> 00:12:10.019 Museum of Art. It's become a pilgrimage site. 00:12:10.179 --> 00:12:12.320 Right, the permanent statue in the city, the 00:12:12.320 --> 00:12:14.100 character's induction into the International 00:12:14.100 --> 00:12:17.639 Boxing Hall of Fame. It transcended cinema, became 00:12:17.639 --> 00:12:20.539 part of American folklore. And critically, Rocky 00:12:20.539 --> 00:12:22.850 was not a one -off. It wasn't a stroke of luck. 00:12:22.990 --> 00:12:25.210 It was the foundation of a massive long -term 00:12:25.210 --> 00:12:27.710 franchise that Stallone actively controlled. 00:12:27.929 --> 00:12:30.529 He immediately took the reins. For Rocky II in 00:12:30.529 --> 00:12:33.309 1979, he wrote, he directed, and he starred, 00:12:33.590 --> 00:12:36.629 replacing Avildsen as director. Which was a serious 00:12:36.629 --> 00:12:38.509 sign of confidence in his own creative control. 00:12:38.950 --> 00:12:43.009 And it paid off. It grossed $200 million. Then 00:12:43.009 --> 00:12:46.590 came Rocky III in 1982, where the physical transformation 00:12:46.590 --> 00:12:49.210 really became the story. Again, he wrote, directed, 00:12:49.289 --> 00:12:51.570 and starred. And this is where he fully embraced 00:12:51.570 --> 00:12:54.090 that hyper -masculine aesthetic. The sources 00:12:54.090 --> 00:12:56.190 detail his rigorous training regimen for the 00:12:56.190 --> 00:12:58.730 role, claiming he reduced his body fat percentage 00:12:58.730 --> 00:13:02.950 to an astonishing all -time low of 2 .8%. Wait, 00:13:02.990 --> 00:13:06.169 hold on. 2 .8 % body fat, that's scientifically 00:13:06.169 --> 00:13:08.690 extreme. Oh, absolutely. Most athletes are above 00:13:08.690 --> 00:13:11.649 5%. Anything below that carries serious health 00:13:11.649 --> 00:13:14.419 risks. Why did he push it that far? It was absolutely 00:13:14.419 --> 00:13:17.340 for impact, and it signaled a major shift in 00:13:17.340 --> 00:13:19.820 his career. The early Rocky was a little doughy, 00:13:19.820 --> 00:13:21.419 right? It reflected the working class struggle. 00:13:21.580 --> 00:13:24.679 The Rocky III, Rocky fighting Mr. T's Clever 00:13:24.679 --> 00:13:27.820 Lang, had to be a superhero. And that level of 00:13:27.820 --> 00:13:30.259 extreme definition required immense sacrifice, 00:13:30.399 --> 00:13:33.620 dehydration, exhaustion, purely to achieve that 00:13:33.620 --> 00:13:36.059 cinematic ideal that would define the 1980s action 00:13:36.059 --> 00:13:39.019 hero. And the 1980s became the decade of that 00:13:39.019 --> 00:13:42.639 extreme physical cinema. The pivot from the sensitive, 00:13:42.720 --> 00:13:46.419 dramatic boxer to the hyper -lethal soldier solidified 00:13:46.419 --> 00:13:49.879 Stallone's dominance. In 1982, he introduced 00:13:49.879 --> 00:13:52.799 John Rambo. Completing the yin and yang of his 00:13:52.799 --> 00:13:56.000 career. Exactly. Rambo, who was introduced in 00:13:56.000 --> 00:13:58.620 First Blood, was conceived as a PTSD -plagued 00:13:58.620 --> 00:14:01.720 Vietnam veteran, a former Green Beret. It was 00:14:01.720 --> 00:14:04.039 based on David Morrell's novel, but Stallone's 00:14:04.039 --> 00:14:06.600 writer's touch was essential here. He significantly 00:14:06.600 --> 00:14:08.960 altered the script during production. And that 00:14:08.960 --> 00:14:11.240 alteration was key. The Rambo in the original 00:14:11.240 --> 00:14:14.759 novel was much more ruthlessly violent. And critics, 00:14:14.820 --> 00:14:17.679 surprisingly, praised Stallone for making his 00:14:17.679 --> 00:14:20.379 cinematic Rambo seem human, a victim of circumstance 00:14:20.379 --> 00:14:22.980 and trauma rather than just a mindless killing 00:14:22.980 --> 00:14:25.179 machine. That humanizing touch is what allowed 00:14:25.179 --> 00:14:27.559 the franchise to thrive. It eventually spanned 00:14:27.559 --> 00:14:30.620 five films all the way up to 2019. If Rocky is 00:14:30.620 --> 00:14:33.220 the conscious, the aspirational, sensitive side 00:14:33.220 --> 00:14:35.419 Rambo, as Stallone himself has noted, is the 00:14:35.419 --> 00:14:38.100 unconscious, the buried trauma and the violent 00:14:38.100 --> 00:14:41.360 reaction to society's rejection. And this dual 00:14:41.360 --> 00:14:44.159 franchise dominance established Stallone as one 00:14:44.159 --> 00:14:46.419 of the two biggest action stars of the entire 00:14:46.419 --> 00:14:50.000 decade, locked in this intense decade -long rivalry 00:14:50.000 --> 00:14:52.519 with Arnold Schwarzenegger. That rivalry was 00:14:52.519 --> 00:14:56.059 pure box office gold, and it served as fantastic, 00:14:56.360 --> 00:14:58.720 if aggressive, marketing for both of them. They 00:14:58.720 --> 00:15:01.379 were constantly attacking each other in the press, 00:15:01.519 --> 00:15:04.259 vying for dominance, trying to surpass the other 00:15:04.259 --> 00:15:06.460 with bigger box office takes. Bigger weapons 00:15:06.460 --> 00:15:08.940 on screen, higher body counts. It's incredible 00:15:08.940 --> 00:15:11.379 that the competition was so fierce it led to 00:15:11.379 --> 00:15:14.460 direct sabotage. Which brings us to the famous 00:15:14.460 --> 00:15:17.440 or infamous story surrounding the 1992 disaster 00:15:17.440 --> 00:15:20.419 Stop or My Mom Will Shoot. This is one of the 00:15:20.419 --> 00:15:22.440 most illustrative anecdotes about the ruthlessness 00:15:22.440 --> 00:15:25.090 of 80s Hollywood competition. Schwarzenegger 00:15:25.090 --> 00:15:27.129 later admitted that he publicly faked intense 00:15:27.129 --> 00:15:29.330 interest in the poor quality script for that 00:15:29.330 --> 00:15:32.090 movie. Specifically to lure Stallone into making 00:15:32.090 --> 00:15:34.529 it. Exactly. To get him to take that film instead 00:15:34.529 --> 00:15:37.169 of a better rival action project. And Stallone 00:15:37.169 --> 00:15:39.669 took the bait. He signed on to that critically 00:15:39.669 --> 00:15:42.370 savaged comedy based on the false rumor that 00:15:42.370 --> 00:15:44.509 Schwarzenegger was desperate for the role. It's 00:15:44.509 --> 00:15:47.909 a masterful, long control. And it resulted in 00:15:47.909 --> 00:15:50.029 one of Stallone's most regretted roles and a 00:15:50.029 --> 00:15:52.750 huge career embarrassment. That detail just perfectly 00:15:52.750 --> 00:15:55.009 captures the competitive energy of that era. 00:15:55.269 --> 00:15:57.970 But throughout this period, Stallone was constantly 00:15:57.970 --> 00:16:00.210 trying to flex his creative muscle beyond just 00:16:00.210 --> 00:16:03.070 Rambo and Rocky. He was taking on multiple roles 00:16:03.070 --> 00:16:05.710 as a filmmaker. His directorial debut came pretty 00:16:05.710 --> 00:16:09.610 early in 1978 with Paradise Alley. It was a family 00:16:09.610 --> 00:16:13.029 drama about professional wrestling set in 1940s 00:16:13.029 --> 00:16:15.870 Hell's Kitchen. And he wrote, directed and starred 00:16:15.870 --> 00:16:18.309 in it. It was clearly character driven, but it 00:16:18.309 --> 00:16:20.509 was not the commercial success that Rocky was. 00:16:20.710 --> 00:16:23.289 He also directed a film he didn't star in, which 00:16:23.289 --> 00:16:25.850 is a keynote on his range, Staying Alive in 1983, 00:16:26.330 --> 00:16:28.429 the sequel to Saturday Night Fever. And this 00:16:28.429 --> 00:16:30.730 is a beautiful case study in critical failure 00:16:30.730 --> 00:16:33.789 versus commercial success. The film was universally 00:16:33.789 --> 00:16:36.090 panned by critics. They found it dramatically 00:16:36.090 --> 00:16:39.370 thin and just over the top. And yet it was a 00:16:39.370 --> 00:16:42.289 major commercial hit. It grossed $127 million 00:16:42.289 --> 00:16:45.590 worldwide and, surprisingly, set a record at 00:16:45.590 --> 00:16:47.769 the time for the biggest opening weekend ever 00:16:47.769 --> 00:16:50.509 for a musical film. So that success shows that 00:16:50.509 --> 00:16:53.269 even when critics dismissed him, his brand and 00:16:53.269 --> 00:16:55.370 his ability to draw an audience were immensely 00:16:55.370 --> 00:16:57.750 powerful. But that commercial goodwill didn't 00:16:57.750 --> 00:17:01.000 save his other genre attempts. The late 80s and 00:17:01.000 --> 00:17:03.799 early 90s were marred by some major bumps. Oh, 00:17:03.799 --> 00:17:05.920 yeah. I mean, who can forget the arm wrestling 00:17:05.920 --> 00:17:09.559 drama Over the Top from 1987? Poorly received 00:17:09.559 --> 00:17:12.279 and a significant commercial failure. And his 00:17:12.279 --> 00:17:14.660 attempts at mainstream comedy were notoriously 00:17:14.660 --> 00:17:17.859 disastrous. Rhinestone in 1984, where he played 00:17:17.859 --> 00:17:20.440 a wannabe country singer opposite Dolly Parton. 00:17:20.640 --> 00:17:23.059 That's a famous failure that earned him his first 00:17:23.059 --> 00:17:25.619 major Razzie recognition. He regretted that role 00:17:25.619 --> 00:17:28.559 so much, he revealed he turned down the chance 00:17:28.559 --> 00:17:30.799 to star in the successful adventure romance, 00:17:30.940 --> 00:17:33.059 Romancing the Stone, to do Rhinestone instead. 00:17:33.279 --> 00:17:36.819 And then there was the 1991 comedy Oscar. Another 00:17:36.819 --> 00:17:39.140 financial and critical failure. So after those 00:17:39.140 --> 00:17:41.799 misfires, he had to engineer a major targeted 00:17:41.799 --> 00:17:45.079 comeback in the early 1990s, focusing intensely 00:17:45.079 --> 00:17:48.019 on high concept action. And he did it masterfully. 00:17:48.299 --> 00:17:51.559 Cliffhanger in 1993 was a massive immediate worldwide 00:17:51.559 --> 00:17:55.539 success. It grossed $171 million. It proved he 00:17:55.539 --> 00:17:58.140 was still a viable action headliner. He followed 00:17:58.140 --> 00:18:01.440 that immediately with Demolition Man in 93, co 00:18:01.440 --> 00:18:04.339 -starring Wesley Snipes and Sandra Bullock. And 00:18:04.339 --> 00:18:06.599 that film was a surprising critical success. 00:18:06.960 --> 00:18:10.460 It debuted at number one and earned 60 % on Rotten 00:18:10.460 --> 00:18:13.640 Tomatoes, a solid mark for an action film, precisely 00:18:13.640 --> 00:18:16.740 because of its unexpected satirical undercurrent 00:18:16.740 --> 00:18:19.579 about political correctness and futurist society. 00:18:20.099 --> 00:18:23.799 Then came The Specialist in 1994, which cemented 00:18:23.799 --> 00:18:26.700 his peak earning power despite its critical failure. 00:18:27.180 --> 00:18:30.619 While reviews were overwhelmingly negative, The 00:18:30.619 --> 00:18:33.559 film was a strong commercial success. It grossed 00:18:33.559 --> 00:18:36.680 $170 million worldwide. And that success led 00:18:36.680 --> 00:18:39.039 to one of those legendary Hollywood deals that 00:18:39.039 --> 00:18:42.339 define the excessive spending of the 1990s. He 00:18:42.339 --> 00:18:45.359 signed a staggering $60 million three -picture 00:18:45.359 --> 00:18:47.599 deal with Universal. Which instantly made him 00:18:47.599 --> 00:18:49.799 the second star after Jim Carrey to command $20 00:18:49.799 --> 00:18:52.019 million per film. Right. And for our listener, 00:18:52.140 --> 00:18:53.880 it's important to remember these contracts often 00:18:53.880 --> 00:18:56.240 function on a pay -or -play basis, meaning the 00:18:56.240 --> 00:18:58.980 studio guarantees the actor that fee even if 00:18:58.980 --> 00:19:01.339 the film isn't made. And that's the twist. This 00:19:01.339 --> 00:19:04.759 mega deal expired in February 2000, and Stallone 00:19:04.759 --> 00:19:07.319 had not made any films under that specific contract. 00:19:07.680 --> 00:19:10.059 It's such an illustrative nugget of the late 00:19:10.059 --> 00:19:12.980 90s Hollywood financial bubble. A $60 million 00:19:12.980 --> 00:19:15.420 guarantee was offered, and yet the projects just 00:19:15.420 --> 00:19:17.980 dissolved. Before we move on, we have to acknowledge 00:19:17.980 --> 00:19:20.819 the deep -cut Trey Parker and Matt Stone nugget 00:19:20.819 --> 00:19:24.359 from the mid -90s. In their short, Your Studio 00:19:24.359 --> 00:19:28.740 and You, from 1995, Stallone appears. And he 00:19:28.740 --> 00:19:31.559 speaks entirely in his Rocky Balboa voice, which 00:19:31.559 --> 00:19:33.779 required subtitles. It's this incredibly self 00:19:33.779 --> 00:19:35.900 -deprecating moment where he yells about why 00:19:35.900 --> 00:19:38.220 the studio keeps using his Rocky character. Only 00:19:38.220 --> 00:19:40.440 for the narrator to calm him down with a wine 00:19:40.440 --> 00:19:42.519 cooler and call him Brainiac. He's muttering, 00:19:42.599 --> 00:19:45.680 stupid sheep studio. It just shows a fantastic 00:19:45.680 --> 00:19:48.279 willingness to poke fun at his own public image, 00:19:48.500 --> 00:19:50.779 which is a level of self -awareness that often 00:19:50.779 --> 00:19:53.980 gets overlooked. The early 2000s were undoubtedly 00:19:53.980 --> 00:19:56.599 a challenging period for him. The big deals evaporated. 00:19:57.740 --> 00:19:59.799 entered a phase of critical and commercial decline. 00:20:00.039 --> 00:20:03.220 Yeah, from 2000 to 2005, he had this string of 00:20:03.220 --> 00:20:06.339 low -performing films, Get Carter, Driven, Avenging 00:20:06.339 --> 00:20:09.119 Angelo, and Detox. These films just struggled 00:20:09.119 --> 00:20:11.519 to connect with audiences who were transitioning 00:20:11.519 --> 00:20:14.599 away from that pure 80s action aesthetic toward 00:20:14.599 --> 00:20:17.940 more complex superhero or effects -driven cinema. 00:20:18.279 --> 00:20:20.859 But amid that slump, there was one surprising 00:20:20.859 --> 00:20:24.779 box office monster, Spy Kids 3D Game Over in 00:20:24.779 --> 00:20:28.309 2003. He played the villain, the toy maker, in 00:20:28.309 --> 00:20:30.970 that Robert Rodriguez family adventure. And that 00:20:30.970 --> 00:20:33.470 film, entirely outside his typical lane, was 00:20:33.470 --> 00:20:36.160 a massive success. grossed almost $200 million 00:20:36.160 --> 00:20:38.720 worldwide. It proved his brand recognition remained 00:20:38.720 --> 00:20:40.720 immense, even when he was playing a supporting 00:20:40.720 --> 00:20:43.220 role to children. And during this difficult period, 00:20:43.440 --> 00:20:46.119 he was actively branching out. He co -presented 00:20:46.119 --> 00:20:49.099 the NBC reality series The Contender in 2005, 00:20:49.460 --> 00:20:51.859 a boxing competition show. Or churning to his 00:20:51.859 --> 00:20:54.319 comfort zone in the sports world. He also released 00:20:54.319 --> 00:20:57.440 his fitness and nutrition guide, Sly Moves, offering 00:20:57.440 --> 00:20:59.400 fans a pretty candid glimpse into the physical 00:20:59.400 --> 00:21:01.559 routines that sustained his career. And that 00:21:01.559 --> 00:21:03.519 career, which many people thought was winding 00:21:03.519 --> 00:21:05.890 down, found its second win by returning to its 00:21:05.890 --> 00:21:09.470 origin. In 2006, 16 years after the critically 00:21:09.470 --> 00:21:12.549 disappointing Rocky V, he launched Rocky Balboa. 00:21:12.630 --> 00:21:15.130 This was the ultimate comeback vehicle, entirely 00:21:15.130 --> 00:21:18.329 self -generated. Stallone wrote, directed, and 00:21:18.329 --> 00:21:21.009 starred. He specifically viewed this as the emotional, 00:21:21.210 --> 00:21:23.349 appropriate conclusion to the series that Rocky 00:21:23.349 --> 00:21:25.809 V had failed to deliver. And it was a massive 00:21:25.809 --> 00:21:29.259 success. Both critically and commercially, it 00:21:29.259 --> 00:21:32.819 grossed $155 million worldwide against a very 00:21:32.819 --> 00:21:36.799 modest $24 million budget. Just remarkable efficiency. 00:21:37.319 --> 00:21:39.980 And critics widely praised his performance for 00:21:39.980 --> 00:21:42.599 its genuine depth, its sincerity, and that sense 00:21:42.599 --> 00:21:45.099 of closure. He immediately leveraged that goodwill 00:21:45.099 --> 00:21:48.700 to revive his other titan. In 2008, he reprised 00:21:48.700 --> 00:21:51.420 his other iconic role, writing and directing 00:21:51.420 --> 00:21:53.099 the fourth installment of the Rambo franchise, 00:21:53.559 --> 00:21:56.299 simply titled Rambo. And that film also proved 00:21:56.299 --> 00:21:59.039 commercially viable. It grossed $113 million 00:21:59.039 --> 00:22:01.880 worldwide. These two revivals created the perfect 00:22:01.880 --> 00:22:03.900 launching pad for him to develop his ultimate 00:22:03.900 --> 00:22:06.619 nostalgia project, the Expendables franchise. 00:22:07.200 --> 00:22:09.339 He wrote, directed, and starred in the first 00:22:09.339 --> 00:22:11.869 one in 2010. The genius of The Expendables was 00:22:11.869 --> 00:22:14.910 its ensemble cast strategy. It was a reunion 00:22:14.910 --> 00:22:18.329 of the 80s and 90s action heroes, Jason Statham, 00:22:18.450 --> 00:22:21.410 Jet Lai, Dolph Lundgren, Bruce Willis, and eventually 00:22:21.410 --> 00:22:23.690 Arnold Schwarzenegger. And that strategy was 00:22:23.690 --> 00:22:26.990 spectacular. The first Expendables gave Stallone 00:22:26.990 --> 00:22:29.589 his biggest opening weekend ever. It proved the 00:22:29.589 --> 00:22:32.049 collective power of that action movie iconography. 00:22:32.250 --> 00:22:33.970 It's important to note, though, that the brand 00:22:33.970 --> 00:22:37.200 faded. The fourth installment, Expense Forbables 00:22:37.200 --> 00:22:40.259 in 2023, was a massive failure, both critically 00:22:40.259 --> 00:22:42.940 and commercially. It became the lowest grossing 00:22:42.940 --> 00:22:45.819 film in the entire series. But the real capstone 00:22:45.819 --> 00:22:47.980 of his modern career, the moment that secured 00:22:47.980 --> 00:22:50.720 his legacy beyond just commercialism, is the 00:22:50.720 --> 00:22:54.170 Creed series, which began in 2015. Right. He 00:22:54.170 --> 00:22:57.069 returned as Rocky, now a mentor to Adonis Creed, 00:22:57.210 --> 00:22:59.789 the son of his old rival, Apollo Creed. And this 00:22:59.789 --> 00:23:01.829 role brought him a level of widespread critical 00:23:01.829 --> 00:23:04.650 praise and recognition that had completely eluded 00:23:04.650 --> 00:23:07.069 him for decades. He won the Golden Globe for 00:23:07.069 --> 00:23:09.009 Best Supporting Actor, got a Critics' Choice 00:23:09.009 --> 00:23:11.569 Award. And most poetically, he received his third 00:23:11.569 --> 00:23:14.210 Academy Award nomination, 40 years after his 00:23:14.210 --> 00:23:16.950 first nomination for playing the exact same character. 00:23:17.230 --> 00:23:19.670 That cyclical validation is just astounding. 00:23:19.829 --> 00:23:22.230 It's Hollywood saying, We might have missed the 00:23:22.230 --> 00:23:25.170 nuance in the middle, but we recognize the genius 00:23:25.170 --> 00:23:28.569 of the original character creation. It completes 00:23:28.569 --> 00:23:31.609 his full transformation from writer to respected 00:23:31.609 --> 00:23:34.450 character actor. And critically, he's shown remarkable 00:23:34.450 --> 00:23:37.430 adaptability to the 21st century media landscape. 00:23:37.529 --> 00:23:39.410 He successfully transitioned into the Marvel 00:23:39.410 --> 00:23:42.609 Cinematic Universe as Stakar Ogord in Guardians 00:23:42.609 --> 00:23:45.970 of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Vol. 3. He also recognized 00:23:45.970 --> 00:23:48.769 the power of the streaming boom. He made his 00:23:48.769 --> 00:23:50.730 television starring debut with the Paramount 00:23:50.730 --> 00:23:53.750 Plus series Tulsa King, and he even embraced 00:23:53.750 --> 00:23:56.309 the docu -reality format with The Family Stallone 00:23:56.309 --> 00:23:59.250 in 2023. Few of his 80s peers have managed to 00:23:59.250 --> 00:24:01.349 pivot across so many different media platforms 00:24:01.349 --> 00:24:03.609 so successfully. It's just crucial to reiterate 00:24:03.609 --> 00:24:06.150 his prolific work behind the camera, as it's 00:24:06.150 --> 00:24:08.190 so often overlooked by the size of his biceps. 00:24:08.589 --> 00:24:10.930 The sources list him as having written or co 00:24:10.930 --> 00:24:14.009 -written 20 films. Including all the major franchises, 00:24:14.009 --> 00:24:17.140 plus films like FIST and Cliffhanger. And he 00:24:17.140 --> 00:24:19.759 directed eight feature films, which includes 00:24:19.759 --> 00:24:22.359 four Rocky sequels and one Rambo installment. 00:24:22.619 --> 00:24:24.759 That makes him an industry quadruple threat. 00:24:25.279 --> 00:24:28.140 Writer, director, producer, and star. And his 00:24:28.140 --> 00:24:30.200 creative work is ongoing. He wrote the upcoming 00:24:30.200 --> 00:24:32.579 action film A Working Man, and there's continued 00:24:32.579 --> 00:24:35.380 development for a Demolition Man 2 sequel and 00:24:35.380 --> 00:24:38.420 a Rocky prequel television series. Although producer 00:24:38.420 --> 00:24:41.000 Irwin Winkler has expressed some skepticism about 00:24:41.000 --> 00:24:43.779 that Rocky prequel series format, he sees the 00:24:43.779 --> 00:24:47.700 core story as inherently cinematic. With Stallone's 00:24:47.700 --> 00:24:49.740 tenacity, you shouldn't count out his ability 00:24:49.740 --> 00:24:51.640 to continue adapting his intellectual property 00:24:51.640 --> 00:24:54.380 for every new platform. Shifting focus from his 00:24:54.380 --> 00:24:57.299 creative output, the intensity that defines Stallone's 00:24:57.299 --> 00:24:59.539 on -screen commitment also marked his personal 00:24:59.539 --> 00:25:01.920 life, which was often subject to massive public 00:25:01.920 --> 00:25:04.140 scrutiny. Particularly his marriages and the 00:25:04.140 --> 00:25:06.220 physical toll of his work. Yeah, he's been married 00:25:06.220 --> 00:25:08.599 three times. His first marriage was to Sasha 00:25:08.599 --> 00:25:12.619 Zak from 1974 to 1985, which yielded two sons. 00:25:13.180 --> 00:25:15.779 Tragically, their elder son, Sage, passed away 00:25:15.779 --> 00:25:20.690 in... And their younger son, Sergio, was diagnosed 00:25:20.690 --> 00:25:23.670 with autism early in life, a personal struggle 00:25:23.670 --> 00:25:25.970 Stallone was publicly transparent about. His 00:25:25.970 --> 00:25:28.849 second marriage to model and actress Brigitte 00:25:28.849 --> 00:25:32.369 Nielsen from 85 to 87 happened at the absolute 00:25:32.369 --> 00:25:35.289 height of his 80s fame. It was highly publicized, 00:25:35.470 --> 00:25:37.809 intensely covered by the tabloids. It really 00:25:37.809 --> 00:25:40.210 reflected the massive cultural footprint he had 00:25:40.210 --> 00:25:42.430 during that decade. And his current and longest 00:25:42.430 --> 00:25:45.009 marriage is to Jennifer Flavin. They met in 1988, 00:25:45.369 --> 00:25:48.349 married in 1997 after a brief and very dramatic 00:25:48.349 --> 00:25:51.150 separation in the mid -90s. Right. That was after 00:25:51.150 --> 00:25:53.430 DNA testing revealed he wasn't the father of 00:25:53.430 --> 00:25:55.190 a child he thought he had with another model. 00:25:55.390 --> 00:25:57.349 They have three successful daughters, Sophia, 00:25:57.609 --> 00:26:00.690 Sistine, and Scarlett, who even shared the role 00:26:00.690 --> 00:26:03.599 of Golden Globe ambassador in 2017. It was a 00:26:03.599 --> 00:26:06.059 shock to the public when Flavin filed for divorce 00:26:06.059 --> 00:26:09.059 in 2022 after 25 years of marriage. But then 00:26:09.059 --> 00:26:11.940 just over a month later, they reconciled, putting 00:26:11.940 --> 00:26:14.599 this very abrupt and very public end to the divorce 00:26:14.599 --> 00:26:17.519 proceedings. That kind of high stakes, high profile 00:26:17.519 --> 00:26:20.460 drama is a consistent thread throughout his life. 00:26:20.640 --> 00:26:22.779 It's also worth highlighting the deep ties to 00:26:22.779 --> 00:26:25.059 his family and his professional life, particularly 00:26:25.059 --> 00:26:27.519 his brother, Frank Stallone. Right, the musician. 00:26:28.349 --> 00:26:31.410 He didn't just show up. He contributed key theme 00:26:31.410 --> 00:26:34.130 songs, including the theme for Rambo, First Blood 00:26:34.130 --> 00:26:36.930 Part II, and most notably the hit song Far From 00:26:36.930 --> 00:26:39.430 Over for Staying Alive. Which actually peaked 00:26:39.430 --> 00:26:42.069 at number 10 on the US charts. Now let's talk 00:26:42.069 --> 00:26:44.309 about the literal price of his on -screen persona. 00:26:44.950 --> 00:26:46.630 Stallone has always been known for doing the 00:26:46.630 --> 00:26:48.950 majority of his own stunts, and the list of physical 00:26:48.950 --> 00:26:51.930 injuries is just... Staggering. It's a permanent 00:26:51.930 --> 00:26:54.910 invoice for his career. He literally broke a 00:26:54.910 --> 00:26:57.329 finger trying to save a penalty kick against 00:26:57.329 --> 00:27:00.230 Pele while filming Escape to Victory. But the 00:27:00.230 --> 00:27:02.529 really intense damage came on the action sets. 00:27:02.930 --> 00:27:05.589 Consider the dedication to realism in Rocky IV. 00:27:06.890 --> 00:27:09.029 Stallone was so committed to making the fight 00:27:09.029 --> 00:27:11.869 look authentic that he told Dolph Lundgren, who 00:27:11.869 --> 00:27:14.640 played Ivan Drago, to punch him as hard as possible 00:27:14.640 --> 00:27:17.519 in the chest. And that single powerful blow caused 00:27:17.519 --> 00:27:20.220 his heart sac to swell. He ended up in intensive 00:27:20.220 --> 00:27:22.940 care for four days. That's not just dedication. 00:27:23.099 --> 00:27:25.819 That is a fundamental willingness to risk serious 00:27:25.819 --> 00:27:28.480 bodily harm for the sake of the scene. And decades 00:27:28.480 --> 00:27:31.099 later, that commitment almost cost him his life 00:27:31.099 --> 00:27:34.400 again. While filming The Expendables, a fight 00:27:34.400 --> 00:27:37.440 scene with Stone Cold Steve Austin resulted in 00:27:37.440 --> 00:27:39.740 Stallone breaking his neck. He needed surgery 00:27:39.740 --> 00:27:42.380 and the permanent insertion of a metal plate. 00:27:42.559 --> 00:27:45.660 It reinforces the theme. If Rambo is his unconscious, 00:27:46.059 --> 00:27:48.539 his body became the physical archive of that 00:27:48.539 --> 00:27:50.900 character's violence. We must now address the 00:27:50.900 --> 00:27:53.400 legal and political facets of his life, maintaining 00:27:53.400 --> 00:27:56.099 that strict, impartial reporting standard defined 00:27:56.099 --> 00:27:58.859 by our sources. The legal issues have been intermittent 00:27:58.859 --> 00:28:02.430 but high profile. In 2007, he faced legal issues 00:28:02.430 --> 00:28:05.190 in Australia. He pleaded guilty to two charges 00:28:05.190 --> 00:28:07.549 related to possessing the synthetic human growth 00:28:07.549 --> 00:28:10.569 hormone gentropin, which was discovered by customs 00:28:10.569 --> 00:28:13.029 officials in his luggage. The sources also detail 00:28:13.029 --> 00:28:15.250 multiple allegations of sexual assault spanning 00:28:15.250 --> 00:28:18.910 different eras, 1986, the early 1990s, and 2001. 00:28:19.559 --> 00:28:21.440 And given the sensitive nature of these claims, 00:28:21.599 --> 00:28:23.519 we have to note that Stallone has consistently 00:28:23.519 --> 00:28:26.339 and vehemently denied all allegations. For example, 00:28:26.339 --> 00:28:29.079 regarding the 1986 allegation, his then -wife, 00:28:29.299 --> 00:28:31.819 Brigitte Nielsen, publicly defended him, stating 00:28:31.819 --> 00:28:33.859 she was with him at the time. More recently, 00:28:33.980 --> 00:28:37.299 in 2018, the Los Angeles DA's office reviewed 00:28:37.299 --> 00:28:40.519 the 1990s allegation but decided not to charge 00:28:40.519 --> 00:28:42.660 him, citing a lack of corroborating witnesses 00:28:42.660 --> 00:28:46.140 to support the claims. Stallone then countered 00:28:46.140 --> 00:28:48.299 by filing a police report against the accuser. 00:28:48.509 --> 00:28:50.769 There's also the matter of the 1987 settlement 00:28:50.769 --> 00:28:53.710 paid to his half -sister, Toni Ann Felitti, concerning 00:28:53.710 --> 00:28:56.309 abuse allegations. While his representatives 00:28:56.309 --> 00:28:58.650 claimed she was blackmailing him and denied the 00:28:58.650 --> 00:29:01.589 allegations entirely, her son publicly supported 00:29:01.589 --> 00:29:04.630 his mother's claims. It remains a complex and 00:29:04.630 --> 00:29:07.009 heavily disputed part of his history. Shifting 00:29:07.009 --> 00:29:09.309 to his political stance, the sources reveal a 00:29:09.309 --> 00:29:11.930 complex, nonpartisan history that doesn't fit 00:29:11.930 --> 00:29:14.630 neatly into any box. He has supported Republicans 00:29:14.630 --> 00:29:17.609 like endorsing John McCain in 2008, but he also 00:29:17.609 --> 00:29:19.859 has a history of donating to prominent Democrats, 00:29:20.079 --> 00:29:22.519 including Joe Biden and Chris Dodd. He explicitly 00:29:22.519 --> 00:29:24.660 does not identify as a committed party member. 00:29:24.839 --> 00:29:27.279 What's truly remarkable, given his iconic filmography, 00:29:27.500 --> 00:29:30.460 is his stated position on firearms. Right. He's 00:29:30.460 --> 00:29:32.640 a staunch advocate for gun control and has been 00:29:32.640 --> 00:29:35.720 described by sources as the most anti -gun celebrity 00:29:35.720 --> 00:29:38.880 in Hollywood. That is the ultimate public paradox. 00:29:40.079 --> 00:29:42.660 The man who made a career out of wielding these 00:29:42.660 --> 00:29:46.079 massive, high -powered weapons on screen is fundamentally 00:29:46.079 --> 00:29:49.019 opposed to their widespread availability in real 00:29:49.019 --> 00:29:51.180 life. His more recent political involvement, 00:29:51.259 --> 00:29:53.880 however, has been highly visible. After the 2024 00:29:53.880 --> 00:29:56.440 election, he attended an event at Mar -a -Lago 00:29:56.440 --> 00:29:59.440 where he publicly praised Donald Trump. He called 00:29:59.440 --> 00:30:01.539 him a mythical character and the second George 00:30:01.539 --> 00:30:04.259 Washington, specifically comparing him to the 00:30:04.259 --> 00:30:07.390 enduring appeal of Rocky Balboa. And that positioning 00:30:07.390 --> 00:30:10.089 led to a specific political appointment. The 00:30:10.089 --> 00:30:13.029 sources confirmed that in January 2025, Trump 00:30:13.029 --> 00:30:14.930 announced Stallone would serve alongside Mel 00:30:14.930 --> 00:30:17.670 Gibson and Jon Voight in a new position, a special 00:30:17.670 --> 00:30:19.829 ambassador to Hollywood. With the stated mission 00:30:19.829 --> 00:30:22.309 being to bring back film business that was lost 00:30:22.309 --> 00:30:24.289 to foreign countries. That appointment shows 00:30:24.289 --> 00:30:26.829 his continued cultural significance, linking 00:30:26.829 --> 00:30:29.410 his massive film career directly to the political 00:30:29.410 --> 00:30:32.490 sphere. Outside of film and politics, Stallone 00:30:32.490 --> 00:30:35.430 is also a noted art collector and perhaps surprisingly 00:30:35.430 --> 00:30:38.180 to some. some a devoted painter. His faith journey 00:30:38.180 --> 00:30:41.400 also reflects a complex narrative. Raised Catholic, 00:30:41.599 --> 00:30:43.579 he drifted away during the peak of his fame, 00:30:43.640 --> 00:30:46.900 but stated he rediscovered his faith around 2006 00:30:46.900 --> 00:30:49.200 after one of his daughters was born ill. But 00:30:49.200 --> 00:30:52.279 by 2010, he clarified that he saw himself as 00:30:52.279 --> 00:30:54.759 pretty spiritual and believing in the spirit 00:30:54.759 --> 00:30:57.460 of man, but not necessarily belonging to a structured 00:30:57.460 --> 00:30:59.660 church, though he respects the foundation religion 00:30:59.660 --> 00:31:02.539 provides. He also spent a period applying his 00:31:02.539 --> 00:31:05.359 boxing knowledge off screen. serving as a boxing 00:31:05.359 --> 00:31:08.220 promoter in the 1980s, signing champions like 00:31:08.220 --> 00:31:10.700 Sean O 'Grady and Aaron Pryor under his company, 00:31:10.839 --> 00:31:13.559 Tiger Eye Productions. We have to close our analysis 00:31:13.559 --> 00:31:16.240 by examining the extreme critical range of his 00:31:16.240 --> 00:31:18.799 career. Stallone is unique in that he's recognized 00:31:18.799 --> 00:31:21.140 with immense reverence at the highest levels 00:31:21.140 --> 00:31:23.200 of cinematic achievement. While simultaneously 00:31:23.200 --> 00:31:25.660 being ridiculed at the lowest, he has touched 00:31:25.660 --> 00:31:28.250 both poles of Hollywood recognition. The highs 00:31:28.250 --> 00:31:30.710 are genuinely stellar and prove his initial creative 00:31:30.710 --> 00:31:33.430 promise. He received three Academy Award nominations, 00:31:33.630 --> 00:31:35.990 including a Best Picture win for Rocky. He has 00:31:35.990 --> 00:31:38.549 two BAFTA nominations. And his performance in 00:31:38.549 --> 00:31:41.049 Creed alone secured him the Golden Globe for 00:31:41.049 --> 00:31:43.769 Best Supporting Actor in 2016 and a Critics' 00:31:43.769 --> 00:31:46.230 Choice Award. His global recognition is strong, 00:31:46.309 --> 00:31:48.950 too. A star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, induction 00:31:48.950 --> 00:31:51.490 into the International Boxing Hall of Fame, an 00:31:51.490 --> 00:31:54.230 Honorary Caesar Award in 1992, and the Montecito 00:31:54.230 --> 00:31:57.190 Award in 2016. But then you have the Golden Raspberry 00:31:57.190 --> 00:32:00.829 Awards, the Razzies, and he holds a truly astonishing, 00:32:01.089 --> 00:32:03.289 almost record -breaking number of nominations 00:32:03.289 --> 00:32:06.670 and wins for worst actor. It suggests that when 00:32:06.670 --> 00:32:09.430 he missed, he missed spectacularly. He was a 00:32:09.430 --> 00:32:11.809 serial winner in the 80s and early 90s, particularly 00:32:11.809 --> 00:32:14.009 when he tried to stray into comedy or dramas 00:32:14.009 --> 00:32:16.269 that just didn't suit him. He won for Rhinestone 00:32:16.269 --> 00:32:19.450 in 84, then a double win in 85 for Rambo, first 00:32:19.450 --> 00:32:22.289 Blood Part II and Rocky IV. He won again in 88 00:32:22.289 --> 00:32:25.960 for Rambo III. And infamously for Stop. Or my 00:32:25.960 --> 00:32:28.440 mom will shoot in 1992 the film he was trolled 00:32:28.440 --> 00:32:30.720 into making. He even won Worst Director for Rocky 00:32:30.720 --> 00:32:33.240 IV. And even in his comeback era, he was still 00:32:33.240 --> 00:32:35.859 receiving the anti -accolade. He won Worst Supporting 00:32:35.859 --> 00:32:38.619 Actor for Spy Kids 3D in 2003, and then again 00:32:38.619 --> 00:32:41.480 recently for Expend Four Bowls in 2023. It seems 00:32:41.480 --> 00:32:43.700 the Razzies were consistently nominating him 00:32:43.700 --> 00:32:45.859 because his failures were often tied to massive 00:32:45.859 --> 00:32:48.900 commercial budgets and public expectation. When 00:32:48.900 --> 00:32:52.259 he was bad, He was highly visible. He truly defined 00:32:52.259 --> 00:32:55.240 the blockbuster action hero, while simultaneously 00:32:55.240 --> 00:32:57.500 racking up records for the worst performances 00:32:57.500 --> 00:33:00.039 of the year. However, his ultimate summary at 00:33:00.039 --> 00:33:02.180 the Razzies is perhaps the most fitting ending 00:33:02.180 --> 00:33:05.880 to his dramatic arc. In 2015, following the immense 00:33:05.880 --> 00:33:08.589 success and critical acclaim of Creed, He was 00:33:08.589 --> 00:33:11.029 honored with the Razzie Redeemer Award. The Redeemer 00:33:11.029 --> 00:33:13.750 Award. It recognizes a career turnaround, someone 00:33:13.750 --> 00:33:16.349 who went from being a fixture on the worst lists 00:33:16.349 --> 00:33:20.089 to achieving genuine artistic recognition. It's 00:33:20.089 --> 00:33:22.950 the highest form of backhanded compliment, symbolizing 00:33:22.950 --> 00:33:25.609 his complete journey from artistic zero to hero, 00:33:25.789 --> 00:33:29.230 celebrated even by his harshest critics. Hashtag 00:33:29.230 --> 00:33:32.359 Tech Outro. So that full deep dive into Sylvester 00:33:32.359 --> 00:33:34.440 Stallone reveals not just a movie star, but a 00:33:34.440 --> 00:33:37.339 figure of profound, almost stubborn tenacity. 00:33:37.380 --> 00:33:40.180 He navigated this massive contradiction born 00:33:40.180 --> 00:33:42.019 with an impediment that should have silenced 00:33:42.019 --> 00:33:44.500 him. He used writing the power of the script 00:33:44.500 --> 00:33:47.599 for Rocky Rambo, The Expendables to literally 00:33:47.599 --> 00:33:50.619 dictate his own destiny. and he achieved staggering 00:33:50.619 --> 00:33:53.960 commercial success and decades later profound 00:33:53.960 --> 00:33:56.819 critical validation for the very same characters 00:33:56.819 --> 00:33:59.019 that were born out of his initial desperation 00:33:59.019 --> 00:34:02.660 that complexity the light in the dark the sensitive 00:34:02.660 --> 00:34:05.279 writer and the hyper violent soldier is captured 00:34:05.279 --> 00:34:08.679 perfectly in his own words rocky is the conscious 00:34:09.260 --> 00:34:11.739 in broad strokes, of the same character. And 00:34:11.739 --> 00:34:15.000 Rambo would be his unconscious. Rocky is the 00:34:15.000 --> 00:34:18.579 aspiration, the fight for decency. Rambo is the 00:34:18.579 --> 00:34:20.639 trauma, the reaction to the world that rejected 00:34:20.639 --> 00:34:23.360 him. And that duality brings us to our final 00:34:23.360 --> 00:34:26.119 provocative thought for you, the learner, something 00:34:26.119 --> 00:34:28.559 to mull over. Throughout his career, Stallone 00:34:28.559 --> 00:34:31.139 has maintained one persistent, long -shelved 00:34:31.139 --> 00:34:34.400 passion project, a script about the life of Edgar 00:34:34.400 --> 00:34:36.769 Allan Poe. And Poe, like Stallone, was defined 00:34:36.769 --> 00:34:39.489 by early poverty, struggle, and an intense grappling 00:34:39.489 --> 00:34:42.170 with darkness and self -destruction. So considering 00:34:42.170 --> 00:34:44.429 Stallone's own history, sleeping in the bus station, 00:34:44.570 --> 00:34:46.369 coping with a physical difference that led to 00:34:46.369 --> 00:34:49.289 bullying, the immense personal tragedies, and 00:34:49.289 --> 00:34:51.230 his lifelong creative struggles against the image 00:34:51.230 --> 00:34:53.829 of the brute. What elements of Poe's dark genius 00:34:53.829 --> 00:34:56.030 might have resonated most deeply with a man whose 00:34:56.030 --> 00:34:58.789 entire arc took him from being cruelly nicknamed 00:34:58.789 --> 00:35:02.150 Stinky to being globally known as Sly? That's 00:35:02.150 --> 00:35:04.369 your assignment. Explore the darkness beneath 00:35:04.369 --> 00:35:05.369 the muscles. Go deep.