Long before Sylvester Stallone found himself on the receiving end of a severe beatdown from Dolph Lundgren in Rocky IV, the action star let his body be tortured by another star in Rocky II. But it did not stop him from making the fights authentic in the huge sports drama franchise created by Stallone himself.
Stallone’s co-star, Carl Weathers, who played Apollo Creed in the franchise, one of the strongest opponents his character had faced, unleashed a hellish pounding on Stallone. However, it was all because of the request from the Rocky II lead and director, Stallone. Putting his body on the line somewhat paid off as the franchise went on to be a huge hit, which propelled his career upward in Hollywood.
Sylvester Stallone Took Heavy Beatdown From Carl Weathers
Late actor Carl Weathers played Apollo Creed in a few movies in the Rocky franchise. Sylvester Stallone, the lead star of the franchise, put his body on the line on several occasions to ensure the essence of the sports movie series. In an interview with RogerEbert.com, the actor revealed his physically incoherent state while filming Rocky II. “There’s a tremendous disorder in my body right now,” Stallone said.
Just what I said. I’m real messed up inside. When we were filming ‘Rocky II,’ I took a terrible beating. I let Carl Weathers [who again plays his opponent, Apollo Creed] really pound me. It was the most gruelling thing I’ve ever been through. Broken bones, the works. The fight’s four times as long and has eight times as many punches as the first one. A lot of those shots aren’t faked. It’s as hard to learn not to hit somehow as to hit them, Right now my health is pretty bad.
Stallone’s commitment to the movies in the franchise has been astounding. His no-fake-fight policy often put him in danger, but the actor/director’s demand for that never changed even when he had to put his body on the line.
Sylvester Stallone Shared the Intensity of His Injuries
The fights led Stallone to sustain several serious injuries. The actor shared, “It’s really bad.” The fight with Weathers, as Stallone revealed, kind of put him on a bumpy road for quite a while with enlarged intestines and rearranged insides.
I have to go in for extensive testing. They talk to me about enlarged intestines, rearranged insides…I’ve lost a lot of weight. Don’t worry. I’ll get it all fixed up.
And he did fix it all for more installments in the movie series. Why? The reason was quite simple for the actor, “Because I have to,” he told the outlet.
I have to. I can’t make the movie without a fight. The fight has to look right or the movie doesn’t end right. And I want to make ‘Rocky III’ in the pretty near future. Your body has a tendency to go to hell.
The actor went on to add that time does not stop for anybody, and for that, he had to do what was necessary while he could. At the time of the release of Rocky (1976), the actor was 29, and at the time of the interview, he was 32 and was ready to make the third installment in just 18 months.
Stallone, now 77, has a glorious cinematic career to his name, primarily as an action star, after his Rocky franchise made him a global star.
Rocky II is available to stream on the AMC+ Prime Video bundle.
