Sylvester Stallone has made a frank admission about the physical price he paid for some of the most iconic roles in his career. The 80-year-old American actor and screenwriter has revealed that his pursuit of an extremely low body fat percentage for “Rocky III“ became an obsession and led to bulimia.
In an interview with The New York Times, the Hollywood star said that his attitude towards his own body began to change with the development of Rocky Balboa, and subsequently with the role of John Rambo.
“My body was my armor“, says Sylvester Stallone. Initially, Rocky looked like an ordinary physically strong man, but the actor gradually decided to change his vision. With Rambo, the goal was different: the body had to look more raw, athletic and dangerous.
Stallone explains that he did not strive for the massive physique of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Instead, he wanted a body resembling a “jaguar or a cat“ – flexible, aggressive and functional. Over time, however, the discipline turned into an unhealthy obsession.
“It got to the point where I developed bulimia“, the actor admits. According to him, during the filming of “Rocky III“ in 1982, his body fat percentage dropped to about 2.6%.
Sylvester Stallone says that he didn't want to hold back on food because he was obsessed with maintaining his extreme shape. Today, he describes this period as a kind of “cult of the body“, which gradually began to control his life.
The actor also spoke openly about the use of steroids and other means to maintain the physique necessary for his action roles.
According to Stallone, it is unrealistic to claim that such a form can be maintained for a long time only with training and diet. He says that he used the drugs cyclically, alternating approximately six weeks of intake with six weeks of rest.
“People say: “You can't look like that naturally“. No, you can't“, the actor admits, adding that this caused serious damage to his body.
An unexpected turn occurred with the crime drama “Cop Land“ from 1997. In the film, Sylvester Stallone plays Sheriff Freddy Heflin, who is overweight, partially deaf, and physically looks far from the invincible Rocky and Rambo.
The actor deliberately gained weight for the role. It was then, according to him, that he first felt a certain liberation from the need to constantly maintain the image of a physically perfect action hero.
“Yes, I abused my body“, admits Sylvester Stallone.
Today, the actor no longer perceives his physique as “armor“. Looking back on decades of extreme training and stunt work, he admits that fame and the pursuit of a certain screen persona came at a high price.
If he could start over, Stallone says he would leave some of the physical burden to others and, most importantly, stop performing so many of his dangerous stunts himself.
The revelations come just ahead of the release of Sylvester Stallone's memoir, "The Steps," scheduled for September 29. In the book, the actor retraces his journey from his difficult early years to the creation of Rocky Balboa and his rise to become one of the most recognizable figures in Hollywood action cinema history.