Before his career-defining success in the Rocky franchise, Sylvester Stallone was a struggling actor earning just breadcrumbs for his acting roles. Once Rocky happened in 1976, it made Stallone into an overnight star and he admitted that the sudden fame may have got to his head. He revealed in an old interview that he was heading down a path of self-destruction with his arrogance when a fan comment kicked some sense into him.
The Tulsa King actor also shared that his media image almost set him up for failure after Rocky‘s resounding success. He was met with the question of whether Rocky II was his comeback movie, despite working on two other movies between the first and second films in the franchise.
Sylvester Stallone Revealed One Fan Question That Put A Stop To His Arrogance
During a 1979 interview with Roger Ebert, Sylvester Stallone shared the state of his career at that point. He shared that the two years after Rocky‘s success was tough, at least for his public image. Stallone revealed that he came across as “cocky” in some of the media interactions. This exactly didn’t endear him with the media or his fans.
The Demolition Man actor wanted to understand what went wrong with the public perception. He re-ran some of the talk shows he appeared on and realized the problem. He revealed that the viewers wanted his Rocky persona while he was just being himself.
He shared that he was often asked questions that he knew nothing about as an actor and he went on to share his opinions instead. The Samaritan actor recalled one encounter with a fan after the Dinah Show. The fan walked up to him and shared one thing that changed Stallone’s path for good. He shared with Roger Ebert:
One day I was doing that on the Dinah Show. And after the show was over, this innocuous-looking gentleman walked up to me. His eyes were glistening. He said one thing: ‘Why are you doing this?’ Then he turned and walked away. That was the end for me. I realized what I was doing.
The First Blood actor shared that he was too cocky for a bigshot movie star. He added that he was making a mere $1400 from movies in 1972 and the transition to mega success like Rocky was hard for him. He shared:
What happened, ‘Rocky’ was so big, and I’d been so low, I was too cocky. In the year of 1972, my total income was $1,400. Now I was a bigshot. I think I’ve got things a little more straight now.
Stallone initially planned to do only a Rocky trilogy as he revealed his plans to Ebert. He shared in the interview that there would be no Rocky IV. However, the success of franchise movies at the time combined with his competition with Arnold Schwarzenegger for the biggest action star status forced him to continue the Rocky series.
Sylvester Stallone Hated One Question From The Media During Rocky II Promotions
When Sylvester Stallone returned to Rocky II, he also took up the role of the director. He shared that between Rocky and Rocky II, he made two films, F.I.S.T. and Paradise Alley. Stallone shared that both movies made money despite people thinking that they were a flop. Paradise Alley also marked his directorial debut, which gave him the confidence to take over as Rocky II director.
However, he revealed that he hated the press questioning whether the Rocky sequel was his comeback. He shared that he didn’t believe he was doing so badly in between the films, though the two films didn’t achieve the level of success of his Rocky films. He added that he never made a film that lost money at that point. He shared with Ebert:
There is this one question, which when I hear it makes me very mad. They all ask me, Will ‘Rocky II’ save your career? Is this my comeback, they wanna know? Will it pull my career out of the toilet?
I didn’t think I was doin’ so bad. I’ve never made a film that lost money. If ‘Rocky II’ was a comeback, I coulda made it a lot more commercial, Like, Rocky coulda been an astronaut.
The Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 actor’s second film in the franchise was not as successful as the first film. His first film earned $225 million while the second film earned $200 million at the box office (via The Numbers).
The Rocky films are now available for rent on AppleTV+.
