‘Rocky’ At 50: Sylvester Stallone Recalls Rising Up To The Challenge Of His Rivals At The Oscars: “People Were Looking For Something Life-Affirming”
Fifty years after its release, Sylvester Stallone reflects on the making of 'Rocky' and its impact on his career. Despite early struggles and skepticism from Hollywood, Stallone wrote the script and insisted on starring in it, leading to a Best Picture Oscar win. He recalls the challenges he faced, including rivalry from established figures like Paddy Chayefsky, on the night of the 1977 Academy Awards.
- ▪Sylvester Stallone wrote the 'Rocky' script in three days, inspired by boxer Chuck Wepner's fight against Muhammad Ali.
- ▪United Artists initially rejected Stallone for the lead role but relented after he refused to sell the script without starring in it.
- ▪Stallone faced skepticism from Paddy Chayefsky, who won Best Screenplay that night for 'Network' and predicted Stallone's loss.
- ▪'Rocky' won the Academy Award for Best Picture, launching Stallone into global stardom.
- ▪Stallone considers the Oscar night a career highlight, comparable to receiving the Kennedy Center Honors.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
In a special three-part series — including All the Presidents’ Men and Taxi Driver — Deadline is looking back a half-century at 1976, an incredible year for movies. Related Stories News ‘I Play Rocky’ First Look Takes On Backstory Of The Iconic Film – CinemaCon News Rose Leslie, Andreas Pietschmann & Daniel Zovatto Join Russell Crowe In ‘The Last Druid’; ‘Gladiator’ Star To Battle Roman Empire Once Again From June Things could have gone very differently for Sylvester Stallone in the year he broke out; by 1976, he was just a jobbing actor with seven years of minor credits to his name.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Deadline.
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