With a stellar career that spans over five decades, Sylvester Stallone is one of the biggest action stars in the industry. Stallone has been a part of multiple smash hits in his career, fans love him for his roles and hardcore personality. And when it comes to playing the tough guy in front of the camera, nobody does it better than the Rocky actor.
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Sylvester Stallone
Since Sylvester Stallone has played so many action roles in his career, many people consider him one of the action icons alongside his rival, Arnold Schwarzenegger. Since he is one of the biggest names in the industry, any actor would feel themselves to be fortunate enough to work with an icon like him. However, an actor had to say otherwise, as he almost came to blows when they were filming for The Expendables.
The Expendables Actor Was Left in Tears By Sylvester Stallone
Recently, Dolph Lundgren was present on In Depth With Graham Bensinger on YouTube, where the actor shared that they had a family-like bond and a close bond where sometimes things got too heated. He shared an instance where Sylvester Stallone started heavily criticizing Lundgren for a scene in the first film, and he went so overboard that he left the actor in tears.
Dolph Lundgren
“We had some good times and bad times, kinda like family to some degree. He was very harsh on me in a scene in Expendables 1, where he kinda yelled at me in front of the whole crew and had me do about 20 takes on a scene. It was like, ‘My grandmother could do it better than that. What the f*ck, what are you doing?’ You know, basically in front of everybody. And there was press there that day too, international press… We took a lunch break and I remember, I was kind of in tears.”
Dolph Lundgren continued how he was furious at Stallone, and if he were to insult him once more, he would have “knock him out.” Adding that he would have left the movie.
“I was really upset. I called my wife that time, and I basically just told her, ‘If he says one more word, I’m gonna knock him out and f**k this movie, I’m outta here. I’m just gonna punch him out and f**king leave.’”
Sylvester Stallone and Dolph Lundgren
However, the Universal Soldier actor’s rage vanished into thin air, when Sylvester Stallone approached him and apologized to him for his harsh comments earlier, and they should continue with the take for the movie. Lundgren added how the Creed actor is “crazy” but he knows how much he respects him, and therefore, he is still friends with him.
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“I think when I walked on the set, people felt it wasn’t such a good vibration. And then I had a tap on the back and it was Sly. And he was like, ‘Uh, I’m sorry about that. Let’s just do another take and let’s just keep moving on.’ And we’ve had a few run-ins over the years, but what can I say, he’s a crazy Italian. I think he knows that I’ve always respected him and loved him, and I think that’s why we’re still friends.”
Even though the Red Scorpion actor stated how much he respects Sylvester Stallone as an icon, they share a complicated past, which stirred controversy, because he commented on the action icon’s professionalism while shooting for Rocky IV.
Dolph Lundgren Jokes on Sylvester Stallone’s Professionalism
Dolph Lundgren and Sylvester Stallone worked for the first time in the fourth sequel of the classic Boxing movie series, Rocky. Lundgren played the role of Ivan Drago, who killed Rockey Balboa’s friend, Apollo Creed in the ring. Over the course of the movie, the actors practiced for their in-ring scenes, and during the sparring session, the actor landed real blows on Stallone, sending him to the hospital.
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Rocky Balboa vs Ivan Drago in Rocky IV
However, The Punisher actor was not apologetic for hurting the First Blood actor. While in a different interview, he joked that Stallone tried to insurance fraud by going to the hospital. Despite joking, about the icon’s injuries, they collaborated in numerous films, including a reunion in Creed II, and fans will see them in the upcoming sequel of The Expendables.
Tushar Auddy, Content Writer. He has been in the entertainment industry for 3 years and is always on the lookout for a captivating story. He is a student of Linguistics and currently pursuing his Master's degree in the same field. He has a passion for literature that runs deep and loves nothing more than getting lost in a novel for hours on end. When he isn't reading, you'll find him capturing the beauty of language.
