Portraying Hollywood legend Sylvester Stallone in a new film about the making of Rocky made actor Anthony Ippolito ill after he took on the physically punishing challenge.
The actor, 27, plays a young Sylvester, 80, in director Peter Farrelly’s I Play Rocky, which tells the story of how the struggling actor fought to get his Oscar-winning boxing drama made in 1976.
Speaking at the Rome Film Fest press conference, Anthony admitted he felt enormous pressure stepping into the role, having spent more than a year studying the star’s voice, mannerisms and physical appearance.
Anthony said: “There was a lot of intimidation at the beginning.”
He added: “I was a fan of the movies and a fan of the character, and I understand how many people are, so I did feel the weight of the responsibility. But like any other situation, you just start by researching as much as you can.”
The biographical drama follows Sylvester’s determination to star in his own screenplay despite being relatively unknown in Hollywood at the time.
The original Rocky, which became a box-office phenomenon and won the Academy Award for best picture, launched Sylvester into international stardom and established one of cinema’s most recognisable sporting characters.
Sylvester went on to reprise the role of boxer Rocky Balboa in multiple sequels, while also becoming famous for playing action hero John Rambo in the First Blood and Rambo films.
The actor later returned to his boxing roots in the Creed franchise, appearing alongside Michael B Jordan, 39, as Rocky became a mentor to Adonis Creed.
Anthony, meanwhile, is already familiar with playing Hollywood icons, having portrayed a young Al Pacino, 86, in the Paramount+ drama The Offer, which explored the making of The Godfather.
The new film also stars Stephan James, 32, as Carl Weathers, who played Apollo Creed in the original Rocky, alongside Matt Dillon, 62, as Sylvester’s father and Jay Duplass, 53, as director John G Avildsen.
Anthony underwent a significant physical transformation for the role, gaining what he described as “a considerable amount of weight” while attempting to recreate Sylvester’s muscular physique.
The actor also researched how Sylvester, who experienced facial paralysis, developed his distinctive appearance and speech patterns.
Anthony said: “I don’t want to say as a compensation for the paralysis, but it was a very interesting and necessary part of the character.”
Director Peter Farrelly, 69, said Anthony had secured the role after submitting a self-taped audition featuring scenes from the script.
Peter said: “He was the first person we looked at, the only person.”
He added: “When I saw it, I said, ‘That’s it, search is over’. I didn’t care if he’d ever been in anything else.”
Peter, whose directing credits include the Oscar-winning Green Book and comedy Dumb and Dumber, said the production needed more than an accurate impersonation of Sylvester.
He said: “A lot of people have done impressions of Stallone. Jim Carrey does an amazing one, but it’s not real. We wanted to capture the essence of Stallone.”
Referring to Anthony’s performance, Peter added: “As good as this script was, if you had a different actor, we wouldn’t be sitting here. We’re here because he became Stallone.”
Anthony explained the original Hollywood studios had questioned Sylvester’s suitability to star in Rocky because of his appearance and distinctive speaking voice.
He said: “The studio wanted all these other actors, celebrities at the time, because he didn’t look and talk like a movie star.”
Around a month before filming began, Anthony finally spoke to Sylvester, who discussed his early struggles in Hollywood and his determination to retain the starring role.
He described him as “very open and generous (about) what it was like to be in those rooms with the producers, and before that, when he was really down and out”.
Anthony added: “He did feel very much like a lone wolf, kind of like an orphan in life in a lot of ways.”
He continued: “He had so much going against him and he persevered through so much. His endurance, I think, radiates through Rocky.”
The filming schedule also presented difficulties, with scenes shot inside cold warehouses in New Jersey and Philadelphia during November.
Anthony was repeatedly sprayed with artificial sweat during filming, which he said contributed to him becoming “pretty sick” towards the end of production.
He said: “It was a very emotional shoot, and taxing in that way, but also very physically taxing.”
Peter compared the demanding schedule with the production of the original boxing film.
He said: “They shot Rocky in 28 days. We shot this in 34 days. That’s tight.”
The revelations come as Sylvester has also been discussing the lasting physical consequences of his Hollywood career.
In a recent interview with Fox News, the action star spoke about injuries sustained while performing stunts, including multiple back operations, neck surgery and damage to both shoulders.
The new biopic arrives during the 50th anniversary year of the original Rocky.