While he reportedly completed the film’s script within three and a half days the initial narrative significantly differed from the final on-screen version. In the new Netflix documentary, Sly, the actor revealed that he made some changes to the character after a friend told him that Rocky Balboa was too cruel.
Sylvester Stallone Revealed He Made Changes to Rocky
Sylvester Stallone’s latest documentary features him looking back at some of his iconic characters, including Rambo and Rocky. As per Deadline, the actor also revealed that the role of Rocky was quite different. Considering he was inspired by Martin Scorsese’s Mean Street, he initially wrote him as a “thuggish” character.
However, he decided to alter the character based on feedback from a friend who tearfully told him, “I hate Rocky. I hate him. He’s cruel. He hits people. He beats them up.” He then asked his friend for suggestions on how he could make the character more empathetic.
“I said, ‘What if you stop short of it?’ Like, maybe he almost did. He could have that’s his job, but he doesn’t?” he recalled discussing with the friend, during which he also suggested Rocky could have a girlfriend to enhance his likability.
“I said, ‘What if he had a girlfriend or something?’ ‘Yeah, that’s nice.’ So I go back, start writing that: ‘Girlfriend. Nice,’” he recalled. After several changes, Stallone added Adriana Pennino’s character as Rocky’s love interest, portrayed by Talia Shire in the franchise.
Read More: 6 Sylvester Stallone Movies That Should’ve Cast Arnold Schwarzenegger Instead
Sylvester Stallone Revealed Nobody Wanted to Make Rocky
As per The Hollywood Reporter, while promoting Sly at the Toronto International Film Festival, Sylvester Stallone revealed that no one in the industry was interested in making a movie about an underdog boxer.
He shared that he did not want to tell the story of a perfect guy. He claimed that his initial depiction of the character was a “kind of mentally challenged guy who happened to have a lot of heart.” While he made changes to his character to pull down on the cruelty, he was still struggling to pitch the story.
“Nobody wanted to make it. It was my best writing too,” he shared at the Toronto International Film Festival. Stallone was finally able to land a deal for the movie in 1975, and the movie was a huge hit on its release, making $225 million at the box office and winning three Oscars at the 49th Academy Awards.
Rocky is available to stream on Max.
