By Elsa Girard-Basset | Web journalist
During his career in Hollywood, Jean-Claude Van Damme had the chance to film with some of the biggest names in action cinema. But no experience marked him more than his meeting with Sylvester Stallone, a character who particularly intimidated him. One anecdote in particular told by the Belgian clearly confirms this…
For a shy little boy from the suburbs of Brussels, social ascension commands respect. Ignoring criticism and mockery, Jean-Claude Van Damme established himself as one of the stars of action cinema in the 1980s and 1990s, managing to become an essential star in Hollywood. A status that allowed him to rub shoulders with the elite of his community.
Jean-Claude Van Damme discusses his fear for Sylvester Stallone
In 2012, JCVD joined the cast of “Expendables 2,” marking his first meeting with a certain Sylvester Stallone. But upon reading the script, the most “aware” man in the entire French-speaking world was disturbed by the absence of a head-on fight between him and the interpreter of Rocky and Rambo. But finding the strength to assert his point of view was anything but easy…
We are fighting in a crashing helicopter. Stallone is injured by the debris and I manage to escape. So we can't talk about a real fight, at least the one that the fans really want to see. But to talk to him about it… With him, you just have to do your job and not contradict him. He might get angry.
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So terrified of expressing his opinion face-to-face, JCVD decided to write a letter to “Sly”. But everything did not go as planned:
Once there, there was no way of getting my hands on the letter I had written to him, so I had to tell him in person. And to my surprise, he told me to work on better fight scenes.
If this anecdote says a lot about the fear Stallone inspires, don't count on Van Damme to criticize him: “He's a very intelligent guy. He's still hungry. Like a guy who’s just starting out,” he said to Inrocks a few years ago. And the Belgian opens up a little more about his relationship with him for “Konbini”:
I was very impressed with Stallone. He works a lot. I did the promo tour with him, that's when he lost his son. He remained locked in his room, no one dared to say anything to him. Sly is very intimidating, a very strong character. I told him I was sorry and he replied with a letter in which he wrote: “Life is a bitch”… Today we sometimes meet in Beverly Hills, with Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Enter respect, craIntegrity and friendship, it is a complex relationship that Jean-Claude Van Damme established with Sylvester Stallone. One thing is certain: beyond the testosterone and the rivalry that exists between them, the two men agree on their work ethic and their desire to continue to stay at the top, despite the years that pass. A mentality that commands respect.
