Sylvester Stallone publishes memoir and says Arnold Schwarzenegger is now a friend
Sylvester Stallone, 80, has published a memoir and told ITV about his tough upbringing, rejection before Rocky, fame and his feud with Arnold Schwarzenegger, now a friendship.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Sylvester Stallone has published a memoir, The Steps, in which he looks back at his troubled upbringing, his breakthrough with Rocky, the pressures of fame and his long-running rivalry with Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The 80-year-old actor, best known for Rocky and Rambo, said his father was "very, very tough, very physical". He said the experience prepared him, inadvertently, for what was to come. His difficult childhood, he added, helped him cope with rejection, inspired him to write Rocky and drove him to fight to play the lead role.
Stallone said he was not sure he would have cast himself. "I don't know if I would have cast myself in Rocky. I'm surprised that they went ahead," he said, describing himself at the time as "as green as you get". The film he wrote won an Oscar for Best Picture and made him a star.
But fame brought problems. Stallone said he became "insufferable", heard voices from the past and alienated himself from the press. He said he was done with Hollywood and the feeling was mutual.
He also spoke about the physical extremes he went to for Rocky III. He said bulimia "snuck off on me" and that he lived on canned tuna and about 30 cups of coffee a day as he tried to transform himself.
The memoir also covers his feud with Arnold Schwarzenegger. Stallone said Schwarzenegger was combative and jousting all the time, and that he was not far off that himself. He said their rivalry became an asset because they were friends. In the latest interview, Schwarzenegger is described as an old sparring partner whom Stallone now calls a friend.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |
|---|---|
| Only on one channel | |
| Stallone described his father as tough and physical, saying the experience inadvertently prepared him for later challenges. | |
| Stallone described his feud with Arnold Schwarzenegger as now affectionate and friendly. | |
| Stallone has disclosed that he suffered from bulimia. | |
| Stallone said actors can face rejection over their body, face or voice. | Reported by ITV |
| Stallone said his troubled upbringing motivated him to write Rocky and to fight to play the lead. | |
| Stallone wrote Rocky, which won an Oscar for Best Picture. | Reported by ITV |
| Sylvester Stallone has released a memoir at age 80, discussing his personal struggles with fame and a troubled upbringing. | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
The lunchtime bulletin placed Stallone in its lighter final segment and framed the memoir as a personal story of fame, family and physical transformation. It gave more space than the later bulletin to Rocky III, bulimia and the Schwarzenegger feud, presenting the rivalry as now affectionate.
- “My father was very, very tough, very physical, but I also think, oddly enough, he prepared me, inadvertently, for what was coming.”
- “I became insufferable. All I could hear was all these voices, voices from the past, and I remember I alienated myself from the press”
- “Arnold's nature is to be combative and jousting all the time, and I'm not far off of that either, so it really was a great asset to have a friend in me like that.”
The late bulletin treated the memoir as a published news event and focused on Stallone's rejection before Rocky, his father's violence and the old sparring partner he now calls a friend. It was more compact and less focused on Rocky III, bulimia or the details of the Schwarzenegger feud.
- “If your body doesn't look right, people don't like your face, if your voice is distracting, everything can work against you.”
- “I don't know if I would have cast myself in Rocky. I'm surprised that they went ahead.”
- “My father was very, very tough, very physical, but I also think, oddly enough, he prepared me inadvertently for what was coming.”
Broadcast Timeline
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