Krittika Mukherjee
Hollywood legend Sylvester Stallone, who hit his stride in the entertainment industry, all thanks to his super successful 1976 Rocky, claimed to be a terrible writer. Admitting to have taken inspiration from a spectacular match between Muhammad Ali and Chuck Wepner, Stallone mentioned writing the script of Rocky in three days.
However, the Hollywood veteran confessed to finding the process of writing a script unbearably painful. Appearing on the Unwaxed podcast, Sylvester Stallone revealed what motivated him, and his grueling process of writing the Rocky script. Further, the actor gave his piece of advice to the writers, in general.
Sylvester Stallone Wrote Rocky Script In Three Days
Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky franchise which birthed the infamous character of Rocky Balboa, remains one of his most successful movies, to date. As his career and life took a turn following the release of his 1976 movie, here’s a backstory to the film’s inception. During a podcast, Stallone opened up about what inspired him to pen down the incredible script for Rocky.
Visiting the Richfield Coliseum on a fateful day to witness a phenomenal competition between Muhammad Ali and Chuck Wepner, changed the entire trajectory of Stallone’s career and life. Witnessing the match between the two legends, apparently lit the lightbulb of ideas in Stallone’s mind. That’s when the actor took the initiative to pen down the script of Rocky.
Sharing his writing process, Sylvester Stallone mentioned, “I did paint them black because I don’t want to know what time it is, it didn’t matter what time it was.” Unwilling to distract himself for breakfast and dinner, the actor mentioned eliminating all excuses. However, forcing himself to focus, eventually made Stallone beg for help. “You’re looking for any reason, please, someone call. That’s why I took the phone out. But writing, I’ll tell you right now, is a miserable means of existence. It is terrible” the actor shared.
Sylvester Stallone’s Piece Of Advice For The Writers
Dedicating several years of his career to the Rocky franchise, after writing the first movie’s script within three days, Sylvester Stallone opened up about how difficult it was for him to focus. Mentioning how he painted the windows to avoid distractions, the actor also mentioned begging for someone to call him and stop him from writing.
Going through the grueling process of writing, personally, Sylvester Stallone noted why many writers often appear too tired or worn out. Thus, the actor purposefully shared his piece of advice for all writers. Sharing his bits of wisdom on the podcast, especially for aspiring writers who are struggling, Stallone advised to focus less on perfection.
“Don’t get so hung up on the perfection. Know that 90% of it is garbage. 90% of writers, they go up to page 90, burn out. They don’t have that finale. If you happen to have an ending, you’re home free.”
Adding on to his advice, the actor mentioned, “You just have to make sure to write and eventually, your inner thoughts will come to the surface and take care of themselves.” Further crediting the writers for their efforts and pieces of phenomenal stories and scripts, Stallone mentioned appreciating writers more, after going through the journey, himself.
Watch Rocky movies on Paramount+.
Source: Unwaxed podcast
