Hollywood star and filmmaker Sylvester Stallone has released his memoir, Steps, weeks after turning 80. Stallone, one of the most successful actors and filmmakers in the history of the film industry, said he has been reluctant to write about his life.
The actor said he had been approached a few times over the years to write a memoir and initially rejected the idea. “I was approached a few times over the years and the one thing I didn’t want to write about is my life,” Stallone said. He said his life had been an “ambivalent and roller coaster ride” that was not always pleasurable.
Instead, Stallone wanted to focus on the story behind Rocky, the character that made him a star. The actor described the film’s success in 1976 as a “minor miracle” and said its inspirational qualities motivated him to tell his story. Stallone also reflected on the difficult experiences he had before breaking into the film industry.
The actor described himself as an unplanned and unwanted child and said revisiting those experiences was difficult. “I spent 50 years burying that stuff,” he said.
He compared writing the memoir to discovering a lost city and becoming his own “spiritual archaeologist”. Stallone said much of what he uncovered was difficult to revisit.
However, he said he did not want the memoir to portray himself as a victim. “Everyone has issues and a lot worse than me,” he said. Stallone also reflected on how insecurity had influenced his life and career. He described insecurity as a powerful motivator that could either be destructive or drive people to keep going.
The memoir arrives weeks before the release of I Play Rocky, a fictionalised and semi-authorised film about the making of Rocky. Stallone praised the film and its team, describing the project as surreal. He said the film’s story had resonated with him because Rocky was fiction, while the events behind its creation were real.
Stallone also praised director Peter Farrelly and the actor portraying him in the film. The actor remains active in the entertainment industry. His most recent major role has been as mobster Dwight “The General” Manfredi in the Paramount+ series Tulsa King.
