Rambo first Blood is broadcast this evening on CSTAR, the opportunity to return to an unknown anecdote around the film, the involvement of a Hollywood legend, which was to play Colonel Trautman.
After Rocky, John Rambo is undoubtedly one of the most iconic characters in Sylvester Stallone’s career. At the time of filming, in the early 1980s, the actor had certainly triumphed with Balboa, but was not yet an undisputed star.
The hero of deep America
To camp this veteran of the Vietnam War, the director Ted Kotcheff sees, however, only one person: Stallone. His quickdrawal of proletarian, which he already trained in Rocky, seems perfect for the role of Rambo. This old green beret, traumatized and lost in this triumphant America from the 80s, has scared many actors before Sly seized it.
In the 1970s, from Niro, Pacino, Dustin Hoffman or Burt Reynolds all refused to embody it. The latter even tried to dissuade Stallone from accepting the film. “Don’t do it, especially not, it’s going to be bad, and even if you are good in it, everyone will only remember that: it was bad”explains Reynolds to Stallone.
Fortunately, the actor does not follow the advice of his colleague and embarks on the Rambo adventure. However, Sly asks to rework the script with the director Ted Kotcheff. The latter will admit that the changes made by Stallone have been capital. The actor first kept that Rambo does not kill anyone.
For him, it was not logical that a man traumatized by the violence of the war sets out to occur simple cops. Secondly, Stallone made drastic cuts in Rambo’s dialogues, making the character someone silent and reserved.
The evidence Kirk Douglas
The scenario finally finalized, Ted Kotcheff goes in search of another important character in the saga, Colonel Trautman. After having hired Brian Dennehy (who died in April 2020) in the role of Sheriff Teasle, production wants a real star for Rambo mentor.
Naturally, the name of Kirk Douglas is mentioned. The actor, who disappeared in February 2020 at the age of 103, is the ideal candidate. A true idol for Stallone, Douglas is also the protagonist of only are the untamed, a western whose history contains disturbing similarities with the story of Rambo.
-This role of cowboy escaping from prison and holding head at a Sheriff Rouve is one of the favorites of Kirk Douglas. On reading the scenario, the hero of Spartacus is therefore affected by the correlation between Rambo and Jack Burns, his character in only are the untamed. He therefore decides to accept the role of Colonel Trautman, to the delight of producers Andrew Vajna and Mario Kassar.
The latter, as well as director Ted Kotcheff and Stallone, will soon be disillusioned. When Douglas arrives on the set in British Columbia, he begins to want to modify his dialogues. This absolutely does not appeal to the filmmaker; Indeed, so far, the actor had assured that he loved the script and had never asked to change anything.
Kirk Douglas unmanageable?
In addition, Douglas had a mania that exasperated Kotcheff, he spoke of him in the 3rd person. “Suddenly I heard him repeat in a loop: Kirk will not say this replica, Kirk does not like this dialogue. Worse, he wanted to prick the other characters their dialogues”says the director in Rambo first action hero by Romain Thoral, first classics number 9.
The director also criticizes Douglas’s remarks concerning the action scenes: “He made us really cheesy suggestions as if we were turning a B series from the 1940s”gets carried away Kotcheff.
With Stallone, they still rewrite certain dialogues from Trautman to please Kirk Douglas. But the efforts of the two men are not enough and the actor is always unhappy. Kotcheff will therefore request Vajna and Kassar producers to explain the problem to them. For him, Kirk Douglas is totally sabotaging the project.
Kirk Douglas thanked
“He will really fuck us two weeks of additional filming because I have to negotiate to make him say each of his aftershocks”complains the director. The producers then authorize Ted Kotcheff and Stallone to clarify things with Douglas: he had loved the script before filming, so either he turns it without asking for modifications, or he leaves. The superstar did not hesitate a second before giving its answer: “Kirk leaves”.
The film now has only one star to wear it, Sylvester Stallone. Indeed, the successor of Douglas is none other than Richard Crenna, an actor who is not likely to shade Sly.
The feature film will be a real international triumph, brilliantly highlighting the trauma of US soldiers after the defeat in Vietnam. He will collect $ 125 million in global revenue for a budget of around 15 million. In France, the work will attract 3 million spectators.
