Sylvester Stallone wasn’t the only one to suffer from Dolph Lundgren’s punch. In Rocky IV, Ivan Drago, played by Lundgren, killed Apollo Creed in the ring, and the Apollo actor Carl Weathers reportedly struggled during the filming of the fight scene with the bulky Swedish actor.
According to all reports, Weathers and Lundgren did not get along, and at one time this set the entire movie in jeopardy. Rocky IV‘s famous fight between Carl Weathers’ Apollo Creed and Dolph Lundgren’s Ivan Drago sparked suspicions that the two actors couldn’t get along behind the scenes.
Why Carl Weathers Threatened to Quit Rocky IV?
Additionally, Sylvester Stallone has disclosed that Dolph Lundgren and Carl Weathers once had a tense relationship. Lundgren’s aggressiveness in the ring upset Weathers, who briefly left the set.
Stallone recalls that whilst he was directing the Creed-Drago fight,
“I saw Dolph Lundgren pick up Carl and heave him three feet into the corner… rather than retaliate, Carl got out of the ring and said something ferocious like, ‘I’m calling my agent… I quit!’”
The resulting furore saw production halted for four days before Weathers agreed to return, on the condition that Lundgren tone down his hands-on physicality.
Also Read: Sylvester Stallone Kicked ‘Greedy’ Carl Weathers Out of $2.69B Rocky Franchise: “Apollo Greed”
Carl Weathers and Dolph Lundgren have both moved on
Carl Weathers was questioned about the authenticity of the reports of a conflict between him and his Rocky IV co-star Dolph Lundgren in an interview with British GQ. The Star Wars actor said that it was all made up for publicity. He explained:
“I love those stories when they’re made up, you know. It’s kind of great fodder for publicity. You get the audience interested and all that. But Dolph is just a sweet guy. And I like to think I am as well. Despite what it has looked like on screen. No, we worked really well together and I’ve seen Dolph so many times since then. He’s just as generous today as he was then.”
Both still meet up sometimes to catch up with each other.
Rocky IV is available on Prime Video
Also Read: “F**k this movie”: Dolph Lundgren Wanted to Knock Sylvester Stallone’s Teeth Out in $274M Project
Source: Aint It Cool
