When Sylvester Stallone performed in the lead role in the 1976 sports drama film Rocky, he instantly catapulted himself into the stardom that he would enjoy over the next five decades. Playing the down-and-out-on-his-luck boxer Rocky Balboa, Stallone delivered one of the most iconic movies in cinema history.
Stallone had written the script for Rocky after watching a boxing match between Muhammad Ali and Chuck Wepner. Three days later, he had the first draft. At the time, Stallone was a struggling actor who very nearly gave up on his dream of making it in the industry. The success of Rocky, a massive box office and an Academy Award, would undoubtedly change his life.
Before the film actually got made, though, Stallone was faced with a truly tough decision. Already owning the rights to the story, having written it himself, Sly was contacted by a producer who was impressed with the narrative and wanted to purchase the rights to make the film.
Stallone was absolutely broke at the time and only had around $100 to his name. When the producer offered him $360,000 for the script’s rights, Stallone must have been more than tempted by what would have been a life-changing amount of money. However, there was a problem.
The producer in question wanted to seek someone to play the lead role of Rocky Balboa. Stallone, on the other hand, had other ideas and had written the part for himself. In a truly heroic, self-determined move, Stallone decided to turn the money down and keep the film’s rights to himself.
He once reflected on his decision: “I thought, ‘You know what? You’ve got this poverty thing down. You really don’t need much to live on.’ I sort of figured it out. I was in no way used to the good life. So I knew in the back of my mind that if I sell this script and it does very, very well, I’m going to jump off a building if I’m not in it.”
“There’s no doubt in my mind,” he continued. “I’m going to be very, very upset. So this is one of those things when you just roll the dice and fly by the proverbial seat of your pants, and you just say, ‘I’ve got to try it. I’ve just got to do it. I may be totally wrong, and I’m going to take a lot of people down with me, but I just believe in it.’”
Stallone did indeed believe in himself, and we all know what happened next. He managed to acquire funding to get the film made and put himself in the lead role as Rocky Balboa, still arguably his most iconic character. Stallone went on to enjoy a wonderful career, but it might not have happened at all had he accepted that initial offer.