# Playing Stallone, with Stallone Watching

> Anthony Ippolito had to become a young Sylvester Stallone, and the real one was on the phone.
- Title: Playing Stallone, with Stallone Watching | Shortify
- Summary: 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…
- Keywords: film, biopic, sylvester stallone, tiff, rocky, Playing, Stallone, Watching, The Hollywood Reporter
- Source: The Hollywood Reporter — https://hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/anthony-ippolito-sylvester-stallone-i-play-rocky-daunting-1236699402
- Author: Mariel Turner
- Published: 2026-09-13T01:15:16+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: film, biopic, sylvester stallone, tiff, rocky
## 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.
## Key takeaway

The hardest part of a biopic is not the impression, it's facing the person you're impersonating.