Sylvester Stallone became famous for his super-fit body in ‘Rocky and Rambo‘. But getting that look came at a huge cost.
The actor has now revealed that he became obsessed with his body, struggled with an eating disorder, and used steroids. Years later, he says his body is still paying the price.
Sylvester Stallone Says His Rocky Body Became An Obsession
In a new interview with The New York Times, the 80-year-old actor looked back at his fitness journey in the 1980s. Stallone said he became “obsessed” with changing his body for ‘Rocky and Rambo‘.
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“It was my armor,” said Stallone. “I looked at Rocky like a very smooth, normal-looking guy, and then we said, if we move on, I think the character would start to become a bit more vain. And for Rambo, you’re playing a warrior; you’ll be a little bit more animalistic … so I started to think, design your body like a jaguar, a cat.”
But things soon went too far. “And then it became an obsession, really bad,” the actor continued. “It became to the point where I became bulimic … I got down to 2.6% body fat when I was doing Rocky III … and I couldn’t hold anything down.”
Stallone Admits He Used Steroids
Stallone also admitted that he used steroids while making the Rocky movies. He wanted to keep his body at the same extreme fitness level for a long time. “I became so obsessed with staying at that point of fitness … it got to me.”
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He also claimed that getting such extreme results naturally is very difficult. “Nobody does it without additives or drugs; I don’t care what they say … bulls—,” he said. Stallone added, “If you’re going to work and try to stay in shape for six months straight and you’re eating yogurt and pudding, it’s not happening. You have to.”
Stallone then spoke about how he approached steroid use at the time. “But you do it the sensible way — six weeks on, six weeks off,” he said. “People say, ‘You don’t get that way naturally.’ No, you don’t, unless you’re a freak of nature.” Looking back now, Stallone says those choices hurt his body badly. He said his steroid use “took a terrible toll” and believes he is still dealing with the effects decades later.
“I’ve abused [my body]. I’ve had nine back operations, two shoulder operations, three neck fusions, everything,” he said. “I’m held together with baling wire, but I still have the want to stay in good shape.” Stallone still tries to stay fit, but he wishes he had treated his body differently.
“I’m sort of fit, but you know, I take a lot of pills to keep going. It’s come at a terrible price. If I could do it over again, I would say, let someone else carry the banner, don’t do your own stunts.” For fans who remember his almost unreal Rocky physique, his confession shows just how much that famous look cost him.
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