Sylvester Stallone He has a lot to be proud of throughout his career, as well as some major regrets, but ultimately the actor says he learned some profound lessons from his children that shaped him as an actor and as a human being.
Over the weekend, Stallone walked the carpet at the film’s premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. the new documentary, Cunning — which details her personal and professional life — and spoke with ET’s Rachel Smith about the raw and candid examination of her career seen in the film, directed by documentary filmmaker Thom Zimny.
“We spent a couple of years together and I just let my guard down,” Stallone said of working with Zimny. “I was talking, frankly, like you only have a limited amount of time on Earth and you want to say things, and you don’t really take care of yourself and just let it go.”
The film deals with Stallone’s experiences with an abusive father and his late son Sage and paints a fuller portrait of the man behind the huge Rocky franchises.
“I’ve seen a lot of documentaries and most of them talk about your work, and this one here talks about why you are the way you are,” Stallone said. “Like who shaped you, from what environment, and this is what shapes everyone.”
“We never escape our childhood and there are things that are profound, they mark you and shape your way of perceiving life,” he said. “And that’s what this is about.”
Stallone He is the father of five children, including his children Sage, who died in 2012 at age 47, and Seargeoh, from his first marriage to Sasha Czack. He also shares three daughters — Sophia, 27, Sistine, 25, and Scarlet, 21 — with his wife Jennifer Flavin.
According to Stallone, his children led him to realize that he was wasting too much time on other things before truly prioritizing his family.
“All actors feel that time is crushing them and eventually everything will disappear, dissipate. Nobody stays on top forever. There is a valley,” he said. “So you fight very hard to maintain your career and get that finite script that will define your career, but you do it at great cost. And usually your family is the one who suffers this kind of forced abandonment.”
“Then when your career starts to come into play, you’re like, ‘Oh my God, I’ve lost the real movie!’ What’s the movie of your life, and these are the characters that play the most profound roles in your life,” he added.
The film also raised the question of Stallone’s legacy and how he acts as a guardian of it as his career progresses. However, Stallone said his view of his own legacy has changed dramatically throughout his life.
“It’s very easy to say, ‘Never give up.’ (But) that’s hard to do,” Stallone said, advising other actors to “learn to deal with failure.”
“That’s the question! Because there is always the possibility, always, of coming back,” he added. “So my legacy is about coming back.”
It also seems to be about building bridges and forging friendships. One element of Sly that plays an important role (and has played a role in Stallone’s career in many ways) was his professional rivalry and occasional animosity with his now-friends. Arnold Schwarzenegger. In the early days, during the height of their fame, both stars were certified action heroes and often competed for the same roles, which only served to intensify their quasi-feud.
According to Stallone, Schwarzenegger used to be “the most competitive,” but over time things changed.
“Now I understand the guy,” Stallone said with a laugh.
Stallone and Schwarzenegger have now become close friends and have traveled similar paths when it comes to the resurgence of their careers. Both Stallone and Schwarzenegger star in television shows. tulsa king and FUBAR respectively, and both are the subject of retrospective documentaries on N Netflix.
Fans can see more of Stallone’s rivalry, as well as how his family and past shaped his outlook and legacy when Cunning premieres November 13 on Netflix.
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