If there is one thing that Hollywood is known for, it is its clear definition of roles and hierarchy. Every member working for the film is expected to do only their jobs and not meddle in other departments. However, sometimes stars with incredible support get heavily involved in the direction of the film. One such star is Sylvester Stallone.
The action star is known for being heavily involved in his own films, despite exiting the director’s chair in films such as the Rocky franchise and more recently The Expendables franchise. Scott Waugh, who directed Expend4bles recently revealed how Stallone came in with ideas for the action film.
Sylvester Stallone’s Involvement In His Films
It may be because he had to literally write his own fate, but Sylvester Stallone reportedly likes to give his creative input in the films that he is a part of. The action star was a budding actor in the 70s when he decided to change his fortune by writing the screenplay of Rocky.
The sports drama made Stallone a global star and he was even nominated for Best Actor and Best Original Screenplay at the Oscars. The film was a huge success and the actor soon turned director with the film Paradise Alley. He also directed three more Rocky films and wrote some of his other successes like Rambo III and Cobra.
The actor left the director’s chair for Rocky V, which received negative reviews, and then returned for Rocky Balboa. He then gave the reigns of the franchise, which shifted to the character Adonis Creed. The first film was directed by Ryan Coogler and the second by Steven Caple Jr. and starred Michael B Jordan.
However, the action star was reportedly still looked at for approval due to his reputation. Caple Jr. mentioned in an interview with Entertainment Weekly,
“[He] had cool creative input that I felt was very helpful in the sense of he’s done this for so long that he has a format that just works…when I spoke to [Stallone], I was like, this dude’s passion is still on level 100 when it comes to being a character and telling this story.”
While many in the business do not take well to actors giving creative direction to the film, Stallone’s involvement seems to be welcome.
Sylvester Stallone Could Not Take A Backseat In The Expendables 4
In the 2010s, Sylvester Stallone created his next big action franchise with the team-up film The Expendables. The films had an ensemble cast of classic as well as upcoming action stars such as Jason Statham, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Jet Li, and more. Stallone directed the first film but then allowed other directors to take over in the sequels.
The fourth installment of the franchise Expend4bles was supposed to be the last appearance of Stallone in the series, with Jason Statham’s Lee Christmas set to take over. However, that did not stop the veteran actor from giving ideas.
According to director Scott Waugh, the Rambo actor loved to be more involved in the film and had a lot of opinions. He said in an interview with ComicBook.com,
“Well, if anyone knows Sly, his ability to take the backseat is completely incapable. He is such an incredible storyteller in his own right, and his resume will lean deeply into that…Sly loves to be involved and I love for him to be involved because he has such a wealth of expertise. So it was super fun working with him.”
Waugh also mentioned that since they were hoping to go back to the original The Expendables and try to lean into what made the film special, Stallone’s input was highly valuable.
