Sylvester Stallone has looked back on the film that changed his life, describing Rocky as “certainly the best thing" he's "ever done” in a nostalgic interview with Entertainment Tonight.
The Hollywood star was reacting to a vintage ET interview from 1982, when he was promoting Rocky III, which was released 6 years after the original movie.
In total, 5 movies were released as part of Stallone's Rocky sequel, from 1976 to 1990.
Looking back at the movie that launched him to international fame, Stallone reflected on how quickly his life changed after writing and starring in the boxing drama.
“This is certainly the best thing I’ve ever done because it was so tied into, dare I say it, my soul,” he said.
“It came out of nowhere in a matter of months. I went from complete obscurity, it looked like a very bad life ahead of me.”
The interviewer also brought up a revelation from Stallone’s new book, in which he recalls having just $106 left in his bank account while writing the screenplay.
“It was about as dark as you can get,” Stallone admitted.
“You either get consumed by a fire, or you use the fire to inspire you.”
Stallone explained how his own struggles helped shape the story of Rocky Balboa, an underdog boxer who gets an unexpected opportunity to fight heavyweight champion Apollo Creed.
“I thought, this is it. But I can't be alone in the world, feeling like this,” he said.
“So I used the symbolism of a fighter. Because life is a fight, from the day we're born until the day we're not born. I thought I could maybe speak for other people who felt so lonely and disenfranchised.”
Nearly 50 years after the original film's release, Stallone's journey from struggling actor to Hollywood legend is now the subject of a new biographical drama, I Play Rocky.
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The film stars Anthony Ippolito as a young Stallone and follows his fight to get Rocky made while insisting that he play the lead role himself. Despite facing rejection from the film industry, Stallone refused to give up his chance to portray the character he had created.
Directed by Peter Farrelly, whose previous films include Green Book, the movie also stars Matt Dillon, AnnaSophia Robb, Toby Kebbell, Stephan James and Tracy Letts.
I Play Rocky is due to arrive in Irish cinemas on November 6, 2026, almost exactly 50 years after the original Rocky began its theatrical release in 1976.
The legacy of the original film is difficult to overstate.
Made on a reported budget of around $1 million, Rocky went on to earn approximately $225 million worldwide and won three Academy Awards in 1977, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Film Editing.
Stallone was also nominated for Best Actor and Best Original Screenplay, making history as one of the few performers to receive nominations for both acting and writing for the same film.
Rocky went on to become one of cinema's most enduring franchises, spawning multiple sequels and the successful Creed spin-off films. Its story of perseverance, self-belief and an ordinary man getting his shot at greatness continues to resonate with audiences decades later.
