Sylvester Stallone has given fans a rare behind-the-scenes look at the grueling physical preparation that went into it. Rocky.
He shared a throwback video on Instagram that captures him and the late Carl Weathers painstakingly working through every hit and fall before the cameras rolled.
The 79-year-old posted the images on Wednesday along with a reflection on what it really took to bring the iconic underdog boxer to life.
“Before Rocky stepped into the ring on screen, there were hours like this,” he wrote.
“Repetition. Footwork. Timing. Taking a hit and getting back up. I wrote the script in three and a half days, but the physical work took months. Nothing was accidental. If you want it to feel real, you have to live it.”
The video itself is fascinating.
In it, Stallone and Weathers, who played Apollo Creed, are seen meticulously blocking every move, with Stallone giving instructions between takes like a director and a fighter at the same time.
At one point he tells Weathers, “So, I’m a little hurt. You stung me with the punches,” before throwing himself against the ropes after a punch, complaining with a smile that the strings felt like “guitar cables.”
He instructed Weathers exactly where to throw his punches — “left, right” — before launching himself 180 degrees into the ropes again, explaining that he wanted to catch them as he fell.
Carl Weathers, who appeared in multiple Rocky films such as the charismatic and formidable Apollo Creed, died in February 2024.
The footage serves as a warm tribute to their chemistry and a reminder of how much artistry and physical commitment lies behind one of cinema’s most enduring sports stories.
