Thismonth’s releaseof
Creed
willmark thefirst
film in theRocky series
since2006’s
Rocky
Balboa
(above).
BEFORE
HE
SPRINTED
UPTHOSE
72STONE
STEPS
INPHILLY
TO
PERFORM
HISFIST-
PUMPING
DANCE,
beforeheguzzledarawegg,tookhisfirstjabatabeef
carcassorutteredhisfirst“YoAdrian,”Sylvester
StallonepaintedRockyBalboaasanelderlyman.
FindingRockydatesbackto1975.Atthetime,
Stallonehadsoldhisscreenplayandhadevenheldout
togethimselfcastastheItalianStallion, the lovable
lugofahas-beenboxerwhosomehowgetsashotatthe
heavyweighttitle.Filminghadyettobegin.
InStallone’sfine-artportrait,Rocky isfreakishly
wellmuscled,buthisfacehasmorecreasesthana
Californiaprune.Thegaze,rimmed inred, isofaman
entirelyspent.BehindRocky’sancientface, theyoung
Stallonepastedabunchofyellowedheadlinesfrom
long-forgottenbouts.
“He’soldbeforehistime,”Stalloneexplainsone late
summermorning,offeringmeacritiqueofthepaint-
ing.“Hiseyesaresoforlorn,eventhoughtheneck, the
trapeziusmuscles,hisshoulders, looksopowerful.He
seems likesuchan innocent;heseemstobesaying—
‘WhereamIgoing?Thecityhasmovedbehindme.
Lifehasmovedon.’”
“Ifeelthatwayevennowwithsomefighters,”
Stallonecontinues.“Theyknowthere’snohope,yet
theycontinuetogoonandundergounbelievable
physicalabuse.There’snobrightspot.That’swhatthis
picturesays. ‘I’mhere.I’mtakingthispain.There is
noreverse.IhavenothingelseI’mgoingtodo.There’s
nowayI’mevergoingtobesuccessful.AndyetI’ll just
soldieron inanonymity.’”
TheSylvesterStalloneoftodaysharestherippled
physiqueofRocky inthatearlyartwork.Nevertheless,
asviewersof lastyear’s
TheExpendables3
canattest,
theactor’sface isaboutassmoothas itwasduringhis
big-screenbreakthrough inthemid-’70s.
Abotchedforcepsdeliveryatbirthcausedper-
manentnervedamagetothe leftsideofStallone’s
face,causing ittodroopdownward,andheonce
acknowledgedhavingplasticsurgerytomitigatethe
problem.Meanwhile,Internetgossipshavehadafield
dayspeculatingonotherplastic-surgeryprocedures
theyallegeStallonemighthavehadovertheyears.
ThecontrastbetweenhowStallonenowappears
46
NOVEMBER2015
AMERICANWAY
PHOTO
MGM/PHOTOFEST
