From The Hollywood Reporter · Mariel Turner · · 1m 20s
Playing Stallone, with Stallone Watching
Anthony Ippolito had to become a young Sylvester Stallone, and the real one was on the phone.
In brief
Anthony Ippolito had to become a young Sylvester Stallone, and the real one was on the phone. The hardest part of a biopic is not the impression, it's facing the person you're impersonating. Originally reported by The Hollywood Reporter.
He plays a young Stallone
Anthony Ippolito stars as Sylvester Stallone in the new film I Play Rocky. The Purple Hearts actor took the role knowing the real man was still around to judge it.
The call that rattled him
To prepare, Ippolito spoke directly with Stallone about his life and early career. He described the conversation as overwhelming and daunting.
“Very Overwhelming and Daunting”
Source material on the phone
Most actors research from tape and archives. Ippolito got the man himself walking him through how Rocky actually came together.
He told it at TIFF
Ippolito shared the story with The Hollywood Reporter at the Toronto International Film Festival on a Saturday, as the film made its festival rounds.
Peter Farrelly directs
I Play Rocky comes from Peter Farrelly, and it follows the tumultuous production behind the 1976 boxing film rather than the fights themselves.
Why Rocky still matters
The 1976 original won three Oscars, including best picture. That is the weight sitting behind every scene of the making-of story.
What to remember
The hardest part of a biopic is not the impression, it's facing the person you're impersonating.
