Sylvester Stallone recalls the big Rocky scene he had to save by nailing it in one take. Stallone exploded as a movie star with his iconic performance in the Oscar-winning underdog sports movie Rocky. But Stallone was more than just the star of the film, as he also penned its Oscar-nominated screenplay.
The story of Rocky Balboa was indeed, in many ways, the story of Stallone: the underdog who made it big by refusing to give up the fight. And one particular fight Stallone refused to give up involved a key moment in Rocky that producers wanted to cut. Speaking to Jake’s Takes to promote his new show Tulsa King, Stallone recalled how the powers-that-be desired to “pull the plug” on the scene where Rocky, intimidated by a visit to the arena the night before his fight with heavyweight champion Apollo Creed, confesses to his wife Adrian that in reality he doesn’t believe he can win, but he just wants to survive the fight, to prove to himself that he’s not a bum. Check out Stallone’s remarks on that key scene, and his battle to save it, in the space below:
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I told the producer actually, they were going to cut the most important scene. They said “We’re going to pull the plug” on the scene where I go to the arena and I come back and I tell Adrian, “I cannot win. Impossible. He’s great, I’m not. But if I can just survive, if can stand up tonight, I know I’m worth something. I’m not another bum from the neighborhood.” So we can’t do that. I said, “You have to do this.” They said, “We’ll give you one take.” And thank God I didn’t forget my lines. There was no jarring of the camera. One take. Cut. They pulled the plug and the rest is history.
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Why Stallone Was Right To Fight For That Rocky Moment
The scene in question is of course a great one for Stallone, as it gives him a chance to show off his acting chops by depicting Rocky’s vulnerability, while giving the audience a touching glimpse of Rocky and Adrian’s relationship. But beyond its value as an acting showcase, the scene is actually pivotal to the movie thematically. It’s so pivotal in fact that it’s puzzling producers thought it could be cut.
As all Rocky fans remember, the movie does not end with Rocky beating Apollo to claim the heavyweight crown, but instead concludes with the big fight being given to Creed by a split decision. But though he doesn’t claim the belt, Rocky still feels like a champion because he does remain standing until the end of the fight, becoming the first person ever to survive to the final bell against Creed. And this makes Rocky a winner as it proves he is not a bum from the neighborhood. For the audience, the message is that winning or losing isn’t always the point, but what matters is that you had your chance and made the most of it.
It’s plainly obvious in retrospect that the movie’s final moments would not have anywhere near the same thematic impact if the audience didn’t already understand that Rocky feels like a winner just for having gotten in the ring and hung on. And the scene described by Stallone, that producers wanted to cut, is the exact scene that makes this all clear. In this instance, Stallone obviously understood the story much better than producers. And thank goodness the star did get his chance to play that key Rocky scene, and did deliver an affecting performance in just one take.
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Source: Jake’s Takes/YouTube
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