In a wide-ranging conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, Sylvester Stallone reveals some mistakes he made in his career and in his life.
The 76-year-old star admitted, “I feel very immature… The older I get, the more I try to embrace my inner kid.”
Stallone noted, “In the beginning of my career, I was celebrating the fact that I had made it to the point of obnoxiousness….When I look back on my quotes, I think, ‘God, a little humility would’ve been nice’…”
The Rocky icon admitted to career missteps in the 1990s, most notably, the infamous action comedy Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot! He told the trade, “I felt as though I wasted a lot of time….When you’re young, you’re just haphazardly shooting wildly and hope you hit something. Now you don’t have the luxury of missing – especially with the family and the kids.”
Stallone added, “I find that to be my biggest regret. Everyone goes, ‘I wish I’d shown love more’ or ‘I wish I’d spent more time with the kids.’ I’m riding that boat.”
The star also referenced his recent breakup — and subsequent make-up — with his wife of 25 years, Jennifer Flavin Stallone, speaking on, “how rare a real good relationship is.” He said, “Sometimes I put the work ahead of [my family], and that is a tragic mistake which won’t happen again.”
Stallone also mentioned those big projects that he could have done, including Arthur and Pulp Fiction. “Witness killed me,” he said of the 1985 movie that starred Harrison Ford in the lead instead.
He said of turning down a Rambo IV — a follow-up to the 1988 third film, a $34 million paycheck at the time, “Oh boy, what an idiot. Now I think about that and … wow.”
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