Sylvester Stallone is one of the legendary action heroes of the 80s and 90s. The actor created a brand for himself as the indestructible one-many army through his Rambo films. Additionally, he also became synonymous with the Rocky franchise and his character Rocky Balboa, which he conceptualized from the beginning.
However, before his fame as an actor, Stallone struggled to make a living and would do odd jobs to earn a buck. Even when he was born, his mother underwent a difficult surgery which resulted in an injury to the nerves on his face. Stallone addressed this when people started accusing him of undergoing plastic surgery on his face.
Sylvester Stallone Underwent a Minor Surgery to Correct a Birth Deformity
Sylvester Stallone had a rough life before his fame in acting. Like his character in 1976’s Rocky, he was an underdog who wanted to make a place in the world and do something special. His mother had a difficult birth and reportedly, Stallone was taken out of her womb by using forceps. Due to some incorrect handling of the tools, he suffered some damage to the nerves on the left side of his face.
This resulted in Stallone’s slurred way of his distinct slurred speech. When he was training for his role in Rocky, he lost a ton of weight and the left side of his face started to droop. Thus, he underwent a minor surgery to lift that side of the face. He told People Magazine in 1992, that people thought he could only afford to do plastic surgery on one side of his face. He said,
“People see this scar and think I’ve had a face-lift. What they don’t notice is that I don’t have a scar over here by my right ear. What do they think? That I could only afford to have half of it done?”
Stallone’s surgery at the time was not to look good or change his physical appearance. He wanted to cover up a minor deformity on his face caused by his complicated birth. In the same interview, he was not against the idea of doing a full-on plastic surgery that people were accusing him of. By 2017, experts have weighed in on how “he’s definitely had some work done” on his face (via Closer Weekly).
Jason Statham Praises Sylvester Stallone’s Ability to Write Great Characters
Jason Statham and Sylvester Stallone have worked many times over the years in the Expendables franchise. Stallone even wrote the screenplay for Statham’s 2013 film Homefront. Stallone is again serving as the writer for Statham’s upcoming film based on Chuck Dixon’s Levon’s Trade.
Statham teased the upcoming collaboration with Variety stating that people underestimate Stallone’s talent as a writer. He praised Stallone’s ability to create great characters (he created various iconic characters like Rocky and Rambo). He also revealed that David Ayer who’s directing the film, did a rewrite of Stallone’s script and they have a great film that they are about to start filming soon. He said,
“We’re now in the process of putting together the heads of departments for this new movie that was originally conceived by Sly. He’s a great writer. Some people are not aware of his writing talents. He writes great characters. And David, an Academy Award-winning writer, has tweaked the script and done a rewrite. So we’ve got a really great movie that we’re about to start.”
The project also marks a reunion between Statham and Ayer who recently delivered the hit action thriller The Beekeeper. With Stallone as the screenwriter, one hopes that the film delivers solid action and thrilling sequences. The film is set to release in January 2025.