Sylvester Stallone Called $125M Movie “career killer” After Burt Reynolds, Robert de Niro and Al Pacino Rejected the Famous Role
Sylvester Stallone’s crazy fan following, his blockbuster projects, and the demand to still see him on screen now clearly define the larger-than-life stardom of the legendary actor. The official face behind reputed action franchises like Rocky and Rambo has been in the entertainment industry for multiple decades.
Sylvester Stallone’s First Blood was released in 1982 and is the stepping stone for the Rambo franchise. He was seen in the character of a veteran soldier John Rambo. During an interview, the American actor had called First Blood a career killer project.
Sylvester Stallone Labeled First Blood As A Career Killer Project After Leading Actors Rejected It
First Blood is one of the most significant projects of Sylvester Stallone’s career. During an interview, the actor confessed that First Blood might do more damage to his acting career instead of doing any good. He appeared on The Howard Stern Show in 2005 and spoke about both Rocky and Rambo.
While talking about Rambo he said-
“I looked at this, I’m going, ‘this is a career killer. This film, when we did it, it was so bad—at least I thought, and even my manager—we both went out, I think we both retched together in the alley.”
In an interview with the media outlet Empire in 2014, Sylvester Stallone spoke about First Blood being cursed. He mentioned-
“Literally cursed. There were 17 different screenplays. There were some very, very good screenplays. Even Broadway screenwriter David Rein took a shot at it,”
According to the Expendables star, no actor wanted to take up the project. He further added-
“So anyway, I looked at this and nobody wanted to do it. It had been through Robert Redford, Paul Newman, Jimmy Caan, Burt Reynolds, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino… the list went on and on,”
Sylvester Stallone’s First Blood amassed around $125 million worldwide, against a $15 million budget.
Sylvester Stallone On Leaving Behind A Legacy In The Hollywood
Sylvester Stallone was present at the Toronto International Film Festival for his documentary Sly. On being interrogated by Entertainment Tonight’s Rachel Smith about his legacy, the iconic actor’s reply went on to make his fans overjoyed. He pointed out that legacies are not always about the box office collections or great projects, but also about comebacks.
He has always wanted his fans to understand that it is not always about failures because one cannot control them, but we always have a choice to get up and do our best, and that is how we leave an indelible mark wherever we go.
While replying to Rachel Smith of Entertainment Tonight, the Rocky star said-
“There’s always a chance for the comeback. So my legacy is all about the comeback.”
Sylvester Stallone is quite well known for his determination towards his projects. He even mentioned that the question about his legacy deserved a thoughtful answer with a sense of profound meaning. Sly is currently available for streaming on Netflix. The official trailer of Sylvester Stallone’s Sly is linked below.
Source: Empire/ Youtube/ The Howard Stern Show/ Entertainment Tonight
