Sylvester Stallone talks about CREED and says Rocky is the one thing he did right

Sylvester Stallone makes a return as Rocky, the character that made him a worldwide star, in the 2015 boxing drama Creed. The movie however will focus not so much on Rocky as the main character this time but instead we will see Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan), the son of his former friend and rival Apollo Creed taking over as the hero to this.

The character of Rocky is now as old as Mickey Goldmill (played by the late Burgess Meredith), his manager and trainer in the original movies and Stallone finds it fitting that his character has come full circle from underdog boxer to mentor to the young upstart Creed. Here’s what Stallone had to say about that when he spoke to The LA Times.

“Isn’t that weird? I’m the guy who’s knocking on the door going, ‘Hey, kid.’ It’s an unbelievable feeling. I’m very proud of it.”

When Rocky first hit the big screens in 1976 it went on to make $225 million at the global box office from a budget of just over $1 million, and went on to win three Oscars, including Best Picture. Since then it has become the franchise that Stallone is easily most associated with. As such, when Stallone was initially approached by director Ryan Coogler about the idea of a sequel the actor was against the project.

“I was dead set against it, I just didn’t ever see taking this character into this realm. Finally my agent said, ‘For a guy who played Rocky, you’re kind of a chicken.”

Stallone of course changed his opinion on the matter and shared the following thoughts on the iconic character.

“There are certain things I’m allowed to say through Rocky that I can’t say through Rambo or anyone else, Rocky is very preachy. He’s just always talking. That’s what Rocky really is: a springboard for the way I see life or wish life was.”

Coogler has been a lifelong fan of Stallone and more specifically Rocky and says he was very surprised when meeting Sly for the first time.

“I watched all these Stallone movies growing up in the ’90s like ‘Demolition Man’ and ‘Cliffhanger,’ but he was still Rocky to me, so I went into his office expecting him to be that character, as soon as I met him, I realized he’s the exact opposite. He doesn’t walk like Rocky, he doesn’t move like Rocky, his personality is totally different — the only thing that’s recognizable is the voice. I remember thinking, ‘This dude is a phenomenal actor to pull off that character and have it be so natural.’ I feel he’s been underused.”

I have always been a fan of the Rocky movies myself and also Michael B Jordan. I think this collaboration will work really well and I like the angle that will focus on Rocky now training the son of Apollo Creed. Stallone himself has stated how proud he is about the Rocky franchise and specified this with the following statement.

“Rocky is the one thing I’ve done right. I’d say my life is about 96% failures, but if you just get that 4% right, that’s all you need.”

Creed will be bobbing and weaving its way to the big screens on November 25, 2015

Last Updated: November 2, 2015