ACTOR STORY | How Sylvester Stallone Made Himself into a Star

By Webmaster

  • ACTOR STORY
    How Sylvester Stallone Made Himself into a Star

    How Sylvester Stallone overcame the odds

    (By Carmichael Phillips)


    (Sylvester Stallone in Creed)

    How bad did Sylvester Stallone have it when he was an aspiring actor? Well, let’s just say that, even doors that had his name written all over them, were closed to him.

    So, he blew them open!

  • Sylvester Stallone casts himself

    Today, we know Sylvester Stallone as the highly successful movie star who commanded the screen in movies like Rocky. But once upon a time, Stallone was just a poor, aspiring actor looking for an opportunity. According to Stallone, he lived in a flop house in New York in the 1970’s that cost $26/week.

    “It was very transient. You shared a floor with 10 people you don’t know”, Stallone said in an interview with ABC.

    If his living situation was less than desirable, his acting career was far, far worse. Stallone recalled the time he attempted to be an extra in The Godfather. It was a big party scene with over 300 extras, all Italian. Stallone was told that he didn’t look Italian enough to get cast.

    Stallone’s jaw hit the floor. Stallone, whose father was Italian, wondered how even doors marked “Italian”, were closed to him.

    As he put it, “What part of me didn’t make it pass the Italian identification aspect? Is God telling me something?”

  • How Sylvester Stallone overcame the odds


    (Sylvester Stallone in Rocky)

    Facing the overwhelming odds of poverty and disappointment, Stallone refused to quit on his dreams of being an actor. He decided to do something that was uncommon for an actor in his day. He decided to take his career into his own hands.

    Remember, this was not the era of YouTube and smart phones, social media, web series and cable shows. This was not an era that made it easy for an actor to take their careers into their own hands. Yet, that’s exactly what Stallone did. He wrote a script.

    The script, of course, was Rocky.

    According to Stallone, he wrote the script for Rocky in four days! Seems unbelievable. Yet, according to Stallone, he just poured it all out on the page, non-stop.

    “I knew that it was going to be very flawed, but if I can get from the beginning to the end with some semblance of a character, then I’ll repair the rest along the way.”

  • Stallone gets more doors slammed in his face. But he blows them open, too.

    Stallone’s script was well-received. The problem: As an aspiring actor, he wanted to play the lead character, but was told he couldn’t. In fact, he was offered more than $300,000 to not play the character.

    Needless to say, $300,000 in those days was not chump-change. It’s not even chump-change today! And for a poor, aspiring actor living in flop houses with homeless people, it must have sounded like all the money in the world.

    Yet, Stallone said, “no”, adding that he wanted to play the Rocky character badly because, “this character…I understood him.”

  • The struggling actor becomes a star

    (Sylvester Stallone in Rambo)

    You probably already know the rest of the story. It’s the stuff of Hollywood legend.

    Rocky would go on to be nominated for 10 Academy Awards, winning three, including Best Picture. The film became one of the most successful movie franchises in the history of cinema. It spawned seven sequels, including Rocky II (1979), Rocky III (1982), Rocky IV (1985), Rocky V (1990), Rocky Balboa (2006), Creed (2015) and Creed II (2018).

    Sylvester Stallone would go on to star as the lead character, Rocky Balboa, in all of the Rocky sequels and become a screen legend. The success of Rocky launched a massive career, with Stallone landing leading roles in movies like the Rambo movie series, Cliffhanger (1993), Demolition Man (1993), Judge Dredd (1995), Shade (2003), The Expendables movie series and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.

    The once struggling actor now has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame!


  • You Might Also Like:
    Actor Stories: Geoffrey Owens’ Rise and Fall…and Rise Again!


     

    Recommended Posts

  • Ad

  • How Denzel Washington Got Started in Acting

    How Denzel Washington Got Started in Acting A look at his journey in showbusiness (By Carmichael Phillips) (Denzel Washington in Fences) Denzel Washington, one of Hollywood’s most respected and accomplished actors, began his…

    Three Different Scenes for a Self-Tape! 

    Three Different Scenes for a Self-Tape! Is that asking for too much? (By Javier Guerra) (Photo: Andrea Piacquadio | Pexels) An actor friend of mine received a breakdown for an audition recently. The…

    ACTOR STORY | “Just Show Up!” 

    ACTOR STORY “Just Show Up!” How Terry Crews became a famous actor, simply by making himself available (By Carmichael Phillips) “If you just show up, a lot of times your opportunities are there.”…

    OPINION | Same-Day Auditions Feel Disrespectful 

    OPINION  Same-Day Auditions Feel Disrespectful  Don’t they understand that we all have lives?  (The Anonymous Actor) (Photo: Andrea Piacquadio | Pexels) Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m certainly grateful for each and every…

    ACTOR STORY | “It’s About Nothing!” 

    ACTOR STORY “It’s About Nothing!” How Jason Alexander landed the role of George Costanza on ‘Seinfeld’ (By Tonya Tannenbaum) (Jason Alexander) Jason Alexander once had a self-tape that he thought was going to…

  • Ad

  • ACTOR STORY | Mark Ruffalo was Hiding in Plain Sight 

    ACTOR STORY Mark Ruffalo was Hiding in Plain Sight How Hollywood finally discovered Mark Ruffalo (By Carmichael Phillips) (Mark Ruffalo in Zodiac) When casting directors saw Mark Ruffalo perform, they couldn’t believe how good…

    Did Method Acting Break Will Smith? 

    Did Method Acting Break Will Smith? Perhaps Will Smith was still in character during the infamous “slap”… (By Carmichael Phillips) What caused Will Smith’s now infamous slap at the Oscars? What made him jump…

    ACTOR STORY | A Casting Director Hunted Me Down for a Self-Tape 

    ACTOR STORY  A Casting Director Hunted Me Down for a Self-Tape  (The Anonymous Actor) (Photo: Andrea Piacquadio | Pexels) I got in trouble with my agent for not submitting my self-tape recently. A…

  • Ad

  • ACTOR STORY | I’m Officially Done with In-Person Auditions! 

    ACTOR STORY  I’m Officially Done with In-Person Auditions!  I hope to never have this experience again! (The Anonymous Actor) (Photo: Liza Summer | Pexels) I hope I NEVER have to go to another…

    ACTOR STORY | Have I been booking out too much? 

    ACTOR STORY Have I been booking out too much?  You have to be all the way in or all the way out…  (The Anonymous Actor) (Photo: Jorge Salvador | Unsplash) In the past,…

    ACTOR STORY | I Got an Acting Job Without Auditioning! 

    ACTOR STORY  I Got an Acting Job Without Auditioning!  Why repeat customers are the best customers  (The Anonymous Actor) (Photo: Razvan Chisu | Pexels) I recently got a job without auditioning for it!…

    Do Casting Directors Even See Our Self-Tapes? 

    Do Casting Directors Even See Our Self-Tapes?  All that anticipation for nothing!  (The Anonymous Actor) (Photo: Ryoji Iwata | Unsplash) My self-tape, on more than one occasion, was not seen. How do I…

    My Self-Tape Evolution 

    My Self-Tape Evolution  A brief history of how my self-taping improved  (By Kesha Tyler) (Photo: Cottonbro | Pexels) My early self-tapes were a rather shitty affair. I’m embarrassed to say it, but it’s…

  • Ad

  • Natalie Martinez: “Just keep working hard, because the struggle never stops.” 

    Natalie Martinez:  “Just keep working hard, because the struggle never stops.”  (Arranged by Carmichael Phillips) (Natalie Martinez) “Just keep working hard, because the struggle never stops.” Model and actress, Natalie Martinez, talked about…

    ACTOR STORY | My Girlfriend Was My Reader for Self-Tape Auditions 

    ACTOR STORY  My Girlfriend Was My Reader for Self-Tape Auditions  We Just Broke Up!  (The Anonymous Actor) (Photo: Alena Darmel | Pexels) My girlfriend and I just broke off a nearly five-year relationship. But…

    ACTOR STORY | How the Late Michael K. Williams Almost Gave Up on Acting 

    ACTOR STORY  How the Late Michael K. Williams Almost Gave Up on Acting  Michael K. Williams’ struggles and triumphs, as an up-and-coming actor (by Carmichael Phillips) (Michael K. Williams) In honor of the…

  • Ad

  • OPINION | What Annoys Me the Most About Casting Directors? Ambiguity! 

    OPINION  What Annoys Me the Most About Casting Directors? Ambiguity!  I want specifics! I’m trying to book this thing. (The Anonymous Actor) (Photo: Pixabay | Pexels) You know what annoys me the most…

    ACTOR STORY | Technical Difficulties Ruined My Virtual Audition! 

    ACTOR STORY  Technical Difficulties Ruined My Virtual Audition!  I never even got the chance to act…  (The Anonymous Actor)  (Photo: Daniel Reche | Pexels) Do you want to know how crazy my last…

    ACTOR STORY | My First Zoom Callback 

    ACTOR STORY My First Zoom Callback  Let me tell you how it all went down…  (The Anonymous Actor) (Photo: CoWomen | Unsplash) I just had my first virtual callback audition! Let me tell…

    ACTOR STORY | Ice-T’s Wild Toilet Audition 

    ACTOR STORY  Ice-T’s Wild Toilet Audition  How Ice-T got his start in movies and television (by Carmichael Phillips) (Ice-T) File this one under “your big break can happen anywhere, at any time”. That’s…

    One Fact About Post-Audition Fears That You Should Always Remember 

    One Fact About Post-Audition Fears That You Should Always Remember  More likely than not, the casting director thinks you did fine!  (by Javier Guerra) (Photo: JJ Jordan | Unsplash) Look, it’s normal to…

  • Ad