I Play Rocky is the true story of Sylvester Stallone's fight against rejection and financial ruin as he struggled to bring Rocky to the big screen.
In the early 1970s, Stallone was a struggling actor in New York City, taking small roles while trying to establish himself in Hollywood. Despite his ambitions, he faced repeated rejection and financial struggles, at one point selling his dog to help pay his bills. His life began to change in 1975 after watching the boxing match between Muhammad Ali and Chuck Wepner, an underdog fighter who unexpectedly lasted 15 rounds against the heavyweight champion. Inspired by the fight, Stallone began writing a screenplay about an unknown boxer who receives a chance to compete for the world heavyweight title.
After completing the script, Stallone attracted interest from Hollywood studios, but while many executives wanted to purchase the screenplay, they wanted to cast a more recognizable actor in the lead role. Although he was offered a large sum of money for the script, Stallone refused to sell unless he was allowed to play Rocky Balboa himself. With little money and his acting career uncertain, he continued fighting for the opportunity to tell the story on his own terms.
Eventually, producers Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff agreed to produce Rocky with Stallone in the lead role. The film became a surprise success, earning 10 Academy Award nominations and winning Best Picture. Its story of an overlooked fighter given one chance to prove himself mirrored Stallone’s own journey from struggling actor to international star.
Directed by Peter Farrelly, I Play Rocky stars Anthony Ippolito as Sylvester Stallone, Stephan James as Carl Weathers, AnnaSophia Robb as Sasha Czack, Matt Dillon as Frank Stallone Sr., and P.J. Byrne as Irwin Winkler. ~Megan Parsons