Sylvester Stallone was one of the faces of action films in Hollywood in the 80s and 90s. Later on, he began The Expendables franchise which saw him team up with legendary stars like Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Bruce Willis, and more. However, the actor had a falling out with one of the stars- Bruce Willis, on the sets of The Expendables 3.
In The Expendables, Bruce Willis starred as Mr. Church. For the third film in the franchise, he was offered $3 million for 4 days of shooting in Bulgaria. But the Die Hard star demanded $4 million. This made Stallone replace him and bring in Harrison Ford within a few days. Additionally, he even called Willis lazy and greedy. But apparently, this isn’t the first time the Rambo star has done this.
Sylvester Stallone Slammed Rocky Co-Star For Being Greedy And Disloyal
After 5 Rocky films from 1976 to 1990, Sylvester Stallone brought the franchise back with Rocky Balboa in 2006. The movie was all about an older Rocky returning to the ring to face a younger opponent while also dealing with deep family issues. In the film Ivan Drago and Mr. T cameoed, and there were plans to have Apollo Creed appear in it as well. But star Carl Weathers demanded a sum that Stallone felt was just too much.
So he called out Weathers and said that he was “Apollo Greed” in a 2006 interview with Ain’t It Cool News. The Escape Plan star said:
“Actually Mr. T and Ivan Drago are in a quick montage before the main event in Rocky Balboa. It’s only for a second or two, but I appreciate their agreeing to participate. Apollo Creed is not in Rocky Balboa because he wanted many thousands of dollars for a two-second piece of him and Rocky boxing. Unfortunately, we couldn’t afford it. Whatever happened to loyalty? Apollo Greed?”
However, despite this falling out, Stallone had nothing but respect for Carl Weather’s acting and fighting ability over the years. He said that none of Rocky’s antagonists was like Apollo Creed, and that’s why there’s an entire franchise now based on his legacy.
Sylvester Stallone Revealed His Deep Admiration For Apollo Creed Actor Carl Weathers
In an interview with Deadline, Sylvester Stallone admitted that out of all the actors who played Rocky’s opponents like Dolph Lundgren and Mister T, it was Carl Weathers who took the crown for his athletic ability. The Cop Land star said:
“I was so blessed the day I met Carl, who is not just a fantastic actor, but a world-class athlete who did things that normal actors and human beings can’t do… I hadn’t seen that in the ring before. Dolph Lundgren was a good athlete besides being a Fulbright Scholar, and Mister T was a good athlete, but nothing quite like Carl.”
Stallone further commented that Creed wouldn’t exist without Weathers. He said, “The fact that this is a movie called Creed, and it’s 40 years after Rocky, well it shows the impact that Carl Weathers had.” Today, the Creed franchise, led by Michael B. Jordan, has grossed $659 million worldwide with more films to follow.
Rocky Balboa is available on Amazon Prime Video.
Source: Deadline and Ain’t It Cool
