Sylvester Stallone’s Wife Called Him a Coward After He Hesitated to Return to His $1.7 Billion Franchise as an Old Sick Man
Sylvester Stallone is a definition of larger-than-life stardom. The actor has been the face behind one of the most celebrated franchises Rocky and Rambo for more than three decades. He rose to fame with his spectacular hit Rocky in 1976. He was critically acclaimed for playing the role of Rocky Balboa in the sports action drama which was written by the actor and directed by John G. Avildsen.
The American actor has been associated with other projects like-Death Race, Cliffhanger, The Expendables, and Escape Plan. With a net worth of a staggering $400 million, he comes under the list of one of the most bankable stars in the world of entertainment.
Sylvester Stallone Was Labeled A Coward By His Wife
Sylvester Stallone’s Creed marks one of the most important movies of his career and as well as the Rocky franchise. Creed was released nine years after the release of Rocky Balboa. However, the First Blood actor was in no mood to go ahead with the Ryan Coogler project due to a change in the plot. According to the script, Rocky was diagnosed with cancer, and Sylvester Stallone was skeptical about portraying the character of the celebrated boxing champ. During an interview with The Post and Courier, the actor revealed that he was called a coward by his wife for not going ahead with Creed. The Specialist actor recalled-
“’ You’re afraid to do something you’ve never done before. That’s called being a coward. She was right.”
Creed went on to gain multiple nominations and Sylvester Stallone’s performance was critically acclaimed. He was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at both the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards. During an interview with the media outlet Variety, the actor mentioned he was surprised on being nominated for Creed. He said-
“I actually am startled. It’s a character that I love and never thought I’d play again. I didn’t think it would resonate like it did, especially with a newer generation. I never went into the film thinking this is going to be a transformative performance. I just thought Rocky has a lot of issues, a lot of problems. He’s like all of us.”
Creed was made on a budget of $50 million and went on to amass a staggering collection of $173.5 million across the globe.
Playing Rocky Balboa In Creed Was Sly’s Toughest Role
Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky Balboa was supposed to be his last association with the sports action franchise. He was apprehensive about reprising his character in Creed after the plot featured Rocky Balboa’s character down with cancer. During an interview with Variety, the Golden Globe-nominated actor said portraying Rocky Balboa in Creed was one of the toughest roles of his life. Sylvester Stallone mentioned-
“To resurrect Rocky under the premise that you’re dying is a tough sell. I kept saying, ‘I’d be interested, but can the neighbor be sick, and Rocky helps?’ I didn’t know if people wanted to see him sick.”
Sylvester Stallone was supposed to be a part of Michael B. Jordan’s 2023 released Creed III. During an interview with the media outlet Radar Online in 2019, the actor said-.
“They’re ready to go onto Creed III. Then hopefully I’m gonna turn in my bucket and towel.”
But due to the creative differences, Sylvester Stallone could not be a part of one of the biggest hits of 2023.
Creed III is currently available on Amazon Prime.
Source: Post And Courier
