Movies - TV
Rocky's Massive Success Was A Double-Edged Sword For Sylvester Stallone
By JEREMY SMITH
Sylvester Stallone’s first “Rocky” film skyrocketed the actor’s career, as fans were drawn to The Italian Stallion’s struggles and rooting for the underdog to come out on top. The movie became an acclaimed hit, but Stallone quickly discovered many had a hard time separating him from his character, and he would need to adjust to it or risk turning off his growing fanbase.
Unlike his character Rocky, Stallone’s off-screen personality was jarringly brash, leading to some public-facing miscues. The actor said, “One day I was doing that on the ‘Dinah Show.’ And after the show was over, this innocuous-looking gentleman walked up to me. His eyes were glistening. He said one thing: ‘Why are you doing this?’ Then he turned and walked away.”
He continued, “That was the end for me. I realized what I was doing. What happened, was ‘Rocky’ was so big, and I’d been so low, I was too cocky.” Rather than making awards-chasing films, Stallone would go on to star in critically-panned films like “Nighthawks” and “Victory,” which effectively reset the public’s expectations of him.