Entertainment · Film · 7 hrs ago
‘I Play Rocky’ revisits Stallone’s fight to make the original ‘Rocky’
Peter Farrelly’s ‘I Play Rocky’ tells the story behind ‘Rocky’, the boxing film that made Sylvester Stallone a star.
Stallone was a struggling actor when he wrote the script, and he insisted on playing the lead role rather than selling it without himself attached.
The film’s producers and studio executives were skeptical, but Stallone turned down millions rather than give up the part.
He had written more than a dozen screenplays before ‘Rocky’, and the film presents his persistence as central to his breakthrough.
The story celebrates films that begin as risky, unlikely ideas at a time when, the review says, the movie industry is cautious and corporate.
The review calls ‘I Play Rocky’ an enjoyable but lightweight comedy, praising Anthony Ippolito’s performance while saying it makes Stallone seem too saintly.
“I Play Rocky” is Peter Farrelly’s film about Sylvester Stallone’s effort to get “Rocky” made with himself in the lead role.
Stallone turned down millions rather than sell his script without starring in it.
The story follows his early acting struggles, his work writing more than a dozen screenplays and the creation of “Rocky.”
Anthony Ippolito plays Stallone, while Tracy Letts, P.J. Byrne and Toby Kebbell portray people involved in the film’s production.
The reviews describe the movie as a comic, crowd-pleasing account that presents filmmaking as a risky and unconventional undertaking.
- Who
- Sylvester Stallone and the filmmakers behind “I Play Rocky.” Anthony Ippolito plays Stallone.
- What
- I Play Rocky” tells the story of Stallone’s fight to make “Rocky” and star in it.
- When
- The reviews were published on November 4, 2026. The story spans Stallone’s early career and the making of “Rocky.
- Where
- The story begins in New York and follows Stallone to Los Angeles.
- Why
- Stallone wanted to star in his script and insisted on playing Rocky, even when he was offered millions to sell it.
Sylvester Stallone
Skeptical executives and producers
Starring in “Rocky
Sylvester Stallone
Stallone insisted on starring in his script and turned down millions rather than give up the role.
Skeptical executives and producers
The executives and producers are described as skeptical and agog at Stallone’s demand.
The project’s prospects
Sylvester Stallone
Stallone persisted in pursuing the role despite his low standing in Hollywood and scant evidence of demand for a boxing drama.
Skeptical executives and producers
The executives’ reaction reflected doubts about making the film with Stallone as its star.
Stallone, then known as Mike Stallone, struggled to make progress in auditions in New York.
Stallone wrote more than a dozen screenplays.
Stallone went home and wrote “Rocky” in three-and-a-half days.
Stallone turned down millions rather than sell the script without starring in it.
- Director
- Peter Farrelly
- Stallone actor
- Anthony Ippolito
- United Artists boss portrayed
- Sandy Maddox, played by Tracy Letts
- Rocky” producers portrayed
- Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff, played by P.J. Byrne and Toby Kebbell
- Screenplays before “Rocky
- More than a dozen
- Time to write “Rocky
- Three-and-a-half days
2 sources
What people are saying
I play Rocky.
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