Sylvester Stallone followed his friend’s advice to rewrite the original script Rocky. A few adjustments later and he was on his way to great success.
In the new Netflix documentary SlewStallone explained how he originally conceived the project, which took a much more difficult approach. In the early version, Rocky was portrayed as a “criminal” character, inspired by Martin Scorsese’s crime dramaAverage streets.
But Stallone’s perspective changed when a friend read the script and said the boxer was too brutal for audiences to really care about him.
Stallone remembers crying.
“She says, ‘I hate Rocky.’ I hate him. He’s cruel. He hits people. He hits her.”
Stallone took this to heart and asked what he could do to soften the character.
“I said, ‘What if you don’t stop?’ Maybe he almost made it. He could have done it, that’s his job, but he doesn’t?’ “That would be nice,” he added. “I said, ‘What if he had a girlfriend or something?’ “Yes, it’s nice.” So I go back and start writing it: “Girl. Pretty.”
$117 million at the box office later, a franchise was born.
Source: Deadline
Bernice Bonaparte is an author and entertainment journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a passion for pop culture and a talent for staying up-to-date on the latest entertainment news, Bernice has become a trusted source for information on the entertainment industry.
