26.03.2007., ponedjeljak
Stallone RB Interview
On getting pounded, teaching his girls to give a pounding and how the ending of the Cold War really mucked up his movie!
He makes no bones about the fact that washed-up Rocky's comeback in Rocky Balboa is a metaphor for his own return to form at age 60. That's this weekend; and coming up, another sequel, Rambo IV. It's the sign of a guy out to prove himself — to himself as much as to the rest of us. Stallone on violence, being washed up and … why a sixth Rocky?! That Rocky can be a real career-killer. "Rocky's burnt its way into the American consciousness, and I became incredibly identified with it, probably inextricably, forever … everything was held up to Rocky. So, if other projects I found myself involved with didn't have that certain kind of heart, I think they felt it was a letdown." An old Stallone is just like you and me. "When I was younger, I had no idea what an older person goes through. And even though I don't feel that mature, I look at the numbers — and I am. So I go, Huh, I guess maybe I'm not that different from other people." Wait! We all have to sell out? "I've done most of the things I've wanted. I raised my children, and, you know, maybe I had to sell out a few times, because we all have to sell out on the road of life. But in the very end, I made up for that and did it my way and kind of feel good about being myself." Isn't there a third choice? "You have two choices: Live in the shadow and shrink, or step outside. But whatever you do, do not use it as an excuse. That just doesn't hold water." But he was no Cowardly Lion … "The training for Rocky Balboa was extremely difficult. And riddled with a lot of injury. Things that worked 30 years ago are a little rusty. Crack, crack. Kind of felt like the Tin Man before he got his can of oil. But with the help of a handful of Advil every morning, we got through it." Up, old man! Up! "The second knockout, when I'm struggling to get up — that's real. I just wanted Rocky to bounce back up like, Yeah, it didn't hurt. But, like, the third time he knocked me down, I went, Wow, now I get it. It's called stunned. I was stunned." "Yo, Adrian — I got some bad news." "So I had to call Talia. I said, 'I worked out the plot; it finally works.' She goes, 'Oh, that's so great; what's my part?' I said, 'Dead. You're dead. You're dead.' She says, 'No, seriously.' I said, 'Seriously, it opens up; I'm on a folding chair, you know, looking at your tombstone.' She goes, 'Come on.' I go, 'Yeah, but I bring roses.' " Just don't mess with his little girls. "I wish my daughters would box, you know? I'm so worried about the guys coming up to them. I'd love my daughters to smack a guy right off a bar stool. I would feel very, very confident in her going out at night if she could take all the guys in the neighborhood." One bad thing about the Cold War ending … "About 10 days before the last Rambo came out, Gorbachev comes over and basically kisses Nancy Reagan on the cheek, and the Cold War — 50 years old — is over, and now I'm the bad guy. It's true. They said, 'Why are you a red-baiter?' I said, 'Two weeks ago, we were dropping bombs on these guys.' Any time you do a film that deals with a political subject, you never know." R-E-S-P-E-C-T. "Until a man — and this means a woman, too — has been through a real baptism in fire, when you're scared, when you're hanging on, when life is hurting you, then you're gonna see what you're really made of. And then you're gonna get that the only respect in the world that matters is self-respect. And that's pretty much what my journey's been — this has all been about getting Rocky self-respect. And maybe a little bit of that will wipe off on me."  |
