“Not the Italian enough air” Sylvester Stallone was completely rejected during the casting of this cult film, his career could have been even crazier

News culture “Not the Italian enough air” Sylvester Stallone was completely rejected during the casting of this cult film, his career could have been even crazier

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The difficult beginnings of Sylvester Stallone

From the second half of the 1970s to the late 90s, Sylvester Stallone was among the most accomplished stars of the time, thanks to two roles that marked a huge turning point in his career. First, there was Rocky In 1976, the touching story of a debt collector with a penchant for boxing which, in a competition of circumstances supposed to emulate the American dream, found itself faced with Apollo Creedworld heavyweight champion. After Rocky (et Rocky II et Rocky III), there was Rambo (First Blood in English), the adaptation of the novel of David Morrell Where the titular character, a veteran of the Vietnam War, alone fights against a sheriff with questionable values ​​and his army with grobins.

But before generating such franchises and becoming the action film icon that we know today, Sylvester Stallone Has drooled a lot to get roles in Hollywood. Mocked for his appearance and his way of speaking, Stallone suffered many refusals in the early 1970s, so much so that he almost threw in the towel after yet another cameo without mention in the generic (like M*A*S*H or What’s Up, Doc?). Besides, a particular refusal deeply marked Stallone, because he could have completely changed the trajectory of his career, even before Rocky.

Sylvester Stallone could have been a gangster

In an interview with EmpireStallone explains that he had tried his luck to play in The godfatherthe famous film of Francis Ford Coppola Released in 1972. It was not a major role, but rather a small role as a figurative during the wedding scene. Stallone says he had himself contacted Paramountthe production company behind the film, to try to obtain a place around the wedding cake. But according to Paramount, Stallone was not “the right kind of guy”, a fairly vague turn which, it turns out, hid a very precise reason, on which the actor returned in an interview with SiriusXMthat you can find below.

According to Stallone, the reason why it did not appear in The godfather is as follows: He didn’t seem Italian enough. For someone called Sylvester Gaudenzio Stallonesuch a reason may seem absurd. Especially since it was only a role of appearing during one of the most iconic scenes of the Coppola film, where all the attention was paid to the main characters. But even if Stallone did not appear in The godfatherhe still realized his dream of embodying a gangster with the series Tulsa Kingbroadcast on Paramount+ (and yes!) Since November 13, 2022.