Sylvester Stallone Interview For The Expendables
Sylvester Stallone Interview For The Expendables
I recently caught up with a legend of cinema in Sylvester Stallone while he was in London promoting his new film The Expendables (which he directed, starred in and co-wrote). The Expendables is a fast-paced, action packed, testosterone filled, thrill ride. I truly had a blast while watching it. Check out what Stallone had to say below.
At the screening I attended there were cheers even before the film started and after each stars name was presented there were rounds of applause. Does that level of excitement and expectation add any extra challenges to do something really special?
Sylvester Stallone: It's A LOT of pressure, sometimes you know with some films you've got a major turkey on your hands and it's not even thanksgiving, it's bad (laughs). But this time this is the other end of it where there is a great expectancy, you think jeez I didn't think it would be like this when I was making it. So you begin to say will this live up to it's ideals, it's kind of complex, your damned if you do and damned if you don't.
How would you compare yours and Dolph's screen relationship now, compared to 24 years ago with Rocky 4?
Sylvester Stallone: That's a good question, first of all I've never trained harder than I did for Rocky 4. Working with Dolph was brutal, he's a world class athlete. We got to know each other pretty well, then times change, we get older, we go through are ups and downs, marriages, all those sorts of things. Then meeting him this time it's really a pleasure because out of all the actors I've worked with he's remained the most grounded and humble, believe me acting can change people. It's rough, it's very competitive. But it has changed, I'm dying to kick his brains in (laughs). He really beat me up badly in that movie, I look at it now and think what was I thinking (laughs). This guys a monster. I saw the Hagler and Hurns fight and saw them going back and forth so I said to Dolph, try and knock me out, just for the first 30 seconds, but he put me in the hospital for days. Just from that 30 seconds, you don't think I had a grudge (laughs).
How do you balance all the testosterone on set?
Sylvester Stallone: You don't, guys are very aggressive, the worst thing you want to do is get for example Jason Statham to do a action scene that is very physical, then the next guy thinks Jason was awful good I'm gonna have to kill the guy I'm fighting (laughs), it'll keep building in competitiveness. That's why you have such testosterone filled movies because men are naturally competitive and they keep wanting to up the anti.
Is there anyone you wanted to get involved that you couldn't? And how did you get so many names involved in the film?
Sylvester Stallone: At first it was just myself, Jason and Jet Li, then I began to build on that. At one time I was thinking about Ben Kingsley as the bad guy and Forest Whitaker, but then I thought this is not gonna fly, let me try to go really old school. So I called Dolph, he accepted immediately, he was very gracious. Then I thought now with no disrespect, there aren't a lot of badass's out there today, guys who just want to get it on. Now I believe the younger generation would love to do this, to show their metal, I'm not saying they're reluctant to do it, there's just a lack of opportunity. All young men want to prove themselves, that's just part of it. But there was none around, so that's why I went to MMA, and got ourselves a 5 time world champion in Randy Couture, who's literally ferocious and at the top of his game. Then I got Steve Austin, who's an incredibly powerful human being, whatever you think about Wrestling, these guys are still big 250 pounds of solid muscle, they're tough, tough guys. We kept building from there, then I called Jean-Claude Van Damme and Steven Seagal but they just had different ideas for their career's. I did the best I could (laughs).
How did you juggle acting and directing in the film?
Sylvester Stallone: It's complex, my method is learn everybody's line. Write the script, then learn it, so I don't have to think about it anymore, I can think of them. You have the blueprint but then once you have it, let's just go and everyone starts to adlib. Sometimes it's unscripted, we had some nice pieces written, but it didn't have that eccentricity. Doing something crazy is memorable, so we adlibbed sometimes.
The paternal theme seems to be growing in your later films. How intentional is that?
Sylvester Stallone: It was very intentional, I think you have to be age appropriate, Jason would be the protg. Even though he's that fellow I confide in and who will eventually take over, I have to tease him, stuff like a father and son would do. I try to always deal with redemption, I think everyone on this planet has regret, that one moment they made the wrong decision, which sometimes can never get your life back on track sadly. That theme from Rocky Balboa to Rambo just haunts me, maybe I'm mono minded or limited (laughs). So with Mickey Rourke's character he says we used to be something'.
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