Sylvester Stallone Reflects on His Parents Missing the Oscars When He Won for Rocky
Sylvester Stallone in “Rocky”.
Credit:
Moviestore/Shutterstock
NEED TO KNOW
- Sylvester Stallone was not yet 30 years old when he pursued his dreams, writing and starring in Rocky.
- The film became the highest-grossing movie of 1976 and earned Stallone three Academy Awards.
- Stallone reflects on the complexities of his success in an interview with CBS Mornings.
Sylvester Stallone, now 79, expressed pride in his journey to success during a recent interview. He was an emerging actor when he dedicated himself to creating Rocky, a role that initially met resistance from studios, as highlighted by Gayle King during their discussion on CBS Mornings.
Stallone recounted how studios were intrigued by the film’s story but were hesitant to cast him as the lead. When King noted his financial struggles at the time, Stallone recalled, “It started at 20, then it went to 80, then it went to 160, then it went to 360…” Over time, this offer would equate to about $2.5 million in today’s market. Ultimately, he declined the offers, stating, “I couldn’t do it.”
The actor later triumphed with three Academy Awards for Rocky, which ultimately became the highest-grossing film of 1976—a moment marked by bittersweet emotions.
Reflecting on his feelings at the Oscars, Stallone remarked, “It’s a volcanic moment, and then it was very sad. You want people that you love that denied you, and now you’re here, you’re at the Oscar, and they don’t want to go… You realize that, at that moment, that you’re never ever going to come to terms with this.” He specifically mentioned his parents, emphasizing, “It’s a real learning lesson that parents should really wise up.”
Stallone metaphorically described children as “soft clay” that can be molded but also damaged. “I still walk around with it. And I wish I couldn’t. And I pray, and I do everything, but it’s always there,” he shared.
Jackie Stallone, Frank Stallone, Sylvester Stallone, and Frank Stallone Sr.
Frank Stallone/Instagram
In his 2023 Netflix documentary, Sly, Stallone reminisces about his upbringing, revealing that he was born with a “snarl” due to partial facial paralysis, a consequence of his mother going into labor while on a bus.
Later in the documentary, Stallone and his brother Frank reflected on their turbulent family life. Frank noted, “I’d be up in bed and you’d just hear them screaming and yelling.” Both brothers often spent their adolescence living in boarding houses, as Stallone mentioned, “The majority of the time, I was living in a boarding house—basically 12 months a year, never went home, because they just didn’t have time, they were both working.”
