Rocky II star Sylvester Stallone reveals how an injury had him worried his career was over and forced him to implement a significant plot change.
Rocky II writer, director, and star Sylvester Stallone shares how an injury sustained in the lead-up to production threatened to derail his career. The sequel picks up from the end of Rocky and sees the titular boxer embroiled in a rematch with World Heavyweight Champion Apollo Creed. Though Rocky eventually wins in a knockout, a detached retina leads him to fight right-handed for much of the match.
In the TMZ special Arnold & Sly: Rivals, Friends, Icons (via Variety), Stallone shares that he got seriously injured during training for the movie, ripping his pec muscle off the bone. This made the actor “feel like my career is over” and led to the Rocky II plot twist. Read Stallone’s full comments on the injury below:
So, I go down, and it’s maybe only 200 [lbs]. I’m just warming up, and I hear a POW! I fall on the floor. And Franco [Columbu, Stallone’s trainer] goes, ‘Let me see.’ He jams his fingers — I’ve torn my pec off the bone. I mean, bad. I could hear it go rip , and he’s jamming his fingers. And I think I’m going to black out.
I go home. I feel like my career is over. I’m supposed to start Rocky II, direct it, everything in a month and a half . Here’s the difference — and [Schwarzenegger] would have done the same thing. … I can’t use this arm, so I’ll change it in Rocky. He’ll fight right-handed . Completely illogical. But I said, ‘I’m not stopping this movie just for this.’ And this was a bad injury … I switched arms. That was one of the key things. But it’s interesting the way these incredible journeys happen. But we don’t stop, we don’t quit.
Sylvester Stallone’s Injury Shows His Commitment To His Art
The Physical Struggles The Star Endured Are a Testament To Rocky II’s Legacy
Rocky II is rightly regarded as one of Stallone’s best movies, and the struggles the actor endured during production give a new and deeper credibility to the film. Rocky faces a lot of hardships in the movie, battling with his newfound fame and the desire for a simple life, and there’s a good chance Stallone experienced similar feelings himself, providing a link between the two. Furthermore, the injury he endured no doubt helped him to connect with the character and the sport better, giving authenticity to his performance.
Rocky’s decision to change his stance is surprising and actually ends up being instrumental in helping him achieve victory over Apollo in the climactic fight. This is a classic case of a creative filmmaker taking a real-life setback and using it within the script to his advantage. With Rocky II a critical and commercial success, the decision wound up improving the story as a result.
The fact that the movies and characters continue to be so popular after all these years is a testament to the hard work Stallone has put in, both in front of and behind the camera.
The enduring legacy of the Rocky franchise is continuing, and with Creed 4 currently in development, it shows no signs of slowing down. The fact that the movies and characters continue to be so popular after all these years is a testament to the hard work Stallone has put in, both in front of and behind the camera. The injury he picked up making Rocky II could well have been the turning point that cemented the star’s long-term commitment to this iconic franchise.